States and Cities Sue Trump Administration Over New Green Card Policy

4:05 AM ETDeveloping

Politics Desk

In Short: California and 20 other states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits challenging new Trump administration rules that could deny green cards to immigrants who have used public assistance programs.

California and 20 other states and the District of Columbia have filed lawsuits challenging new Trump administration rules that could deny green cards to immigrants who have used public assistance programs. The lawsuits, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argue that the new policies seek to 'rewrite more than 100 years of law' and would shift millions in costs to local governments. Bonta stated, 'No family should have to choose between accessing healthcare and nutrition assistance today—or protecting their pathway to a green card tomorrow.

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu echoed these concerns, saying the new policies are 'a blatant attempt to sow fear and confusion in our immigrant communities and coerce people into withdrawing from critical government services.' The new policy, promulgated by Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, gives immigration officers unprecedented discretion to deny admission to families that have tapped any number of public assistance programs. Bonta added, 'Sanctuary states are terrified they will lose federal funds because hundreds of thousands of illegals and noncitizens might remove themselves from American welfare programs.

The lawsuits, filed in federal court in New York, argue that the new rules target families in unprecedented ways and could penalize immigrant families for accessing basic, preventative healthcare that actually helps control the broader public cost of illness to localities and states. President Trump won office on a promise to rein in illegal immigration, but the new rules have been criticized for their potential to penalize legal immigrants who rely on public assistance.

Among the cities joining the challenge are Chicago and San Francisco, with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announcing a joint lawsuit with other mayors. The Trump administration has rescinded a 2022 policy, arguing that it is protecting taxpayer dollars and expects immigrants to be self-sufficient. However, the new rules could affect green card applicants who have used Medicaid or food assistance, reversing the Biden administration's stance on public charge considerations.

What's still developing

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, whose office is helping lead the states’ challenge, said the rule changes seek to “rewrite more than 100 years of law” by making even brief use of public benefits in years past grounds for the federal government to deny a person’s application for legal permanent residency in the future — which he said was clearly illegal and would push tremendous costs onto states, counties and cities.
A mother and daughter are pictured at a protest against arrests of immigrants at green card appointments in Salt Lake City.
(Photo by Annie Knox, Utah News Dispatch)States, cities and counties filed a pair of lawsuits Monday challenging new federal rules that will allow immigrants’ use of safety net resources to be taken into account for green cards and other applications to stay in or enter the country.
Such non-cash benefits were previously restricted from public charge consideration under the Biden administration.

Sources

Perryville Republic Monitorlink