Donald Trump Photo: WhiteHouse.Gov
Aug. 20, 2019 By Allie Griffin
New York City, New York State, Connecticut and Vermont have filed a joint lawsuit against President Trump’s new public charge rule, which makes it easier for the federal government to deny green cards and visas to immigrants who use or have used certain public assistance programs.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed the joint lawsuit in the Southern District of New York today.
More than 15 states have already filed separate lawsuits against the new rule.
The concept of the public charge is not new and immigrants have been rejected on this basis in the past. However, the new rule is much stricter and expansive. For instance, immigrants who receive public benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps, and housing subsidies are much more likely to be denied visas. The rule is scheduled to take effect Oct. 15.
James argues that the rule specifically targets immigrants of color, immigrants with disabilities and low-income immigrants and puts these communities at risk, while creating adverse impacts on public health and the economy. She fears that many immigrants will go without much needed services, concerned that they may jeopardize their visa status.
“Generations of citizens landed on the welcoming shores of Ellis Island with nothing more than a dream in their pockets,” James said. “The Trump Administration’s thinly veiled efforts to only allow those who meet their narrow ethnic, racial and economic criteria to gain a path to citizenship is a clear violation of our laws and our values. Quite simply, under this rule, more children will go hungry, more families will go without medical care and more people will be living in the shadows and on the streets. We cannot and we will not let that happen.”
In the suit, the coalition argues that the Department of Homeland Security’s new public charge definition disregards clear congressional intent and a century’s worth of case law holding that immigrants who use basic, non-cash benefits are not considered public charges because they are not primarily dependent on the government, according to the Attorney General’s office.
“The new ‘public charge’ rule creates fear, confusion, and distress for our immigrant communities,” NYC Corporation Counsel Zachary Carter said. “The new rule broadens the definition of a public charge, increasing the number of non-citizens who may be found inadmissible, denied a green card, or denied a visa on public charge grounds. In this lawsuit, the City will challenge the new rule on the grounds that it violates the federal Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution.”
More than 1 million immigrants live in Queens and nearly half is either undocumented or holds a green card-level or similar status, according to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. The borough also has the highest number of undocumented immigrants in the city at 184,000.
“The ultimate city of immigrants will never stop fighting President Trump’s xenophobic policies,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “We are proud to join the Attorney General and let our immigrant brothers and sisters know New York stands united behind them. When you mess with our neighbors, you mess with all of us. To the President, we’ll see you in court.”
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10 Comments
So when Democrats did this in the past it was ok….
James needs a little history lesson.
Welfare and medicaid was created originally to help the citizens of this nation who need temporary assistance! Not to be a way of life! I am a legal immigrant and legal citizen paying my taxes into these programs to help those bin need. My folks and I have never used any government services since we’ve lived here! Yet our government takes our taxes and uses it for illegal immigrants that never voted for them! They are draining the taxes I put into the system! I agree with Trump! Only needy CITIZENS SHOULD GET HELP! Those that cross the boarder are criminals by their own actions! Help the citizens in NYC Los Angeles etc first! Send illegals back home! Don’t reward them with VISAS OR CITIZENSHIP!
Another white supremacist acting as a non-white fascist supporter.
No….an American who works their A__ of to support their family and not sit home playing video games!!!
I guess I’ll be a fake one as well then. Welfare is becoming a way of life with people never getting off of it and getting a job. How many of us NYers have friends that work off the books and are collecting benefits wearing LV and ever other brand name. Living their best lives. It’s not only illegals who this applies to… welfare should be time limited. People need to owe up to life choices and do what is needed to figure it out.
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Right with ya!
Right behind you!! Thumbs up
Is it hard for these socialists/left wing politicians in NY to understand that american taxpayers do not have an obligation to support foreigners??? In the old days, immigrants came here to work hard and not depend on handouts (welfare, food stamps, etc did not exist). We do not need immigrants that become a burden to the taxpayer.
Hahaha Most immigrants, both legal and undocumented work twice as hard as many of these right-wing whiners, often exploited, and with far far less benefits. As for the undocumented, guess who pays Social Security taxes for YOU on their fake numbers, and who contributes with taxes on their purchases, for the common good. It’s the tax-evaders like Trump and big corpotations that pay zero taxes that you should be whining about my friend.
Don’t believer the hype, hate, division and self-serving
lies coming from the shameless con-man currently in
the White House.
Out ancestors , who often came here poor, penniless and uneducated must be turning over in their graves at Trump’s attempts to tarnish our Lady of the Harbor and the ideals,hopes and dreams that she stands for.
This Trump proposal is not making America great.
Instead, Trump’s proposal is a rich-man’s insult to our immigrant tradition, to our immigrant roots, and to all the immigrants who REALLY made & make this country great.
We will not let Trump hijack and destroy our American ideals for his own crass & cruel political purposes. This man is only in it for himself, and he’s trying to bankrupt us both morally and physically, just like he did with his casinos and his fake universities and charities, while both he & Moscow Mitch kiss up to our enemies -or worse.
It’s not fake news that we need to worry about- it’s the faker in the White House.