22 States Sue Trump Administration Over New Green Card Rule
Photo:DHS
India-West News Desk
NEW YORK, NY-New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is leading a coalition of local governments in a legal challenge to a Trump administration rule that could make it harder for some immigrants to obtain green cards, visas or admission to the United States.
Separately, New York and 21 other states, along with the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit September 14 seeking to block the Department of Homeland Security rule, which would give immigration officials greater discretion to determine whether applicants could become dependent on government assistance.
The states joining New York and the District of Columbia in the lawsuit are California, Illinois, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
The rule, scheduled to take effect September 18, could make obtaining a green card more difficult for some immigrants who use, or are considered likely to need, public benefits such as food assistance, Medicaid or housing vouchers.
Mamdani was expected to announce September 14 that several local governments would also file a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, CNN reported. The coalition includes Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Santa Clara County in California and King County in Washington.
Mamdani said the rule could discourage immigrant families from using programs that provide food and health care, including benefits they are legally entitled to receive. He said the resulting fear could also affect families that remain eligible for assistance.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is leading the states’ lawsuit, said the policy could lead families to give up food assistance, health care and other public benefits because of concerns about their immigration cases.
CNN said states contend that DHS exceeded its authority because Congress did not approve a broader interpretation of what constitutes a public charge. They also argue that the administration failed to adequately consider the consequences of the change or justify the new policy, which they describe as “arbitrary and capricious.”
The lawsuit asks the court to block the rule, invalidate it and prevent DHS from using it. The states are not seeking monetary damages from the federal government.
The states argue that New York is particularly vulnerable because of its large immigrant population, extensive public-benefit programs, universal school meals and reliance on federal Medicaid and SNAP funding.
According to the lawsuit, defendants estimate that states nationwide could lose about $4.05 billion annually in federal payments for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The plaintiff states could account for approximately $2.2 billion of that reduction.
The states also argue that if families stop using benefits they are legally entitled to receive, including health care, food assistance and school lunches, the effects could ripple through public health, local economies, schools and public safety.
