Politico incredulously reports that federal aid enrollment among immigrants is shrinking, and the reason has to do with what the report implies are unfair immigration policies. Right off the bat, Politico makes an emotional appeal regarding nourishment, which apparently is under threat. “Immigrants are turning down government help to buy infant formula and healthy food for their young children because they’re afraid the Trump administration could bar them from getting a green card if they take federal aid,” according to the report.

Politico adds: “Local health providers say they’ve received panicked phone calls from both documented and undocumented immigrant families demanding to be dropped from the rolls of WIC, a federal nutrition program aimed at pregnant women and children, after news reports that the White House is potentially planning to deny legal status to immigrants who’ve used public benefits. Agencies in at least 18 states say they’ve seen drops of up to 20 percent in enrollment, and they attribute the change largely to fears about the immigration policy.”

The forthcoming policy is even said to be dangerous, as it “could put more babies who are U.S.-born citizens at risk of low birth weight and other problems — undermining public health while also potentially fueling higher health care costs at taxpayer expense.” (More on the citizenship angle below.) Politico explains that existing green-card holders and immigration applicants will be the most affected, while at the same time the policy “could also affect undocumented immigrants if they want to seek legal permanent residency in the future.”

The Politico report also includes this interesting fact: “WIC has been largely immigration-blind since it was created in 1974, [and] most of the infants it serves are citizens born in the U.S. regardless of their parents’ immigration status. Despite that, providers say parents’ fear of deportation may also be driving declining enrollment in WIC.” Does this not strike the Leftmedia as remarkably ironic?

For decades, the government in general has been immigration-blind, which has enabled border-crossers to game the system. Pregnant women breach the border and give birth, at which point leftists can say say “most of the infants [WIC] serves are citizens born in the U.S.” In other words, Americans are now victims of immigration enforcement. That’s called having your cake and eating it too. But now that we have an administration that wants to enforce the law, noncitizens and media alike are apoplectic.

The extent of federal aid even among citizens is contentious and financially burdensome, but providing aid to immigrants is downright controversial. The bottom line is that our borders must be secured. A sovereign nation draws a firm line on benefits between immigrants (both legal and especially nonlegal) and citizens. Becoming a citizen is a privilege, not a right. The Left wants to erase that distinction.