New York City and state Attorney General Letitia James filed parallel federal lawsuits Monday challenging a Trump administration rule and accompanying guidance that would expand the public benefits immigration officers can consider when deciding certain green-card applications.
The rule is scheduled to take effect Friday, and city officials argue it unlawfully allows immigration officers to count some green-card applicants’ use of benefits they are legally eligible to receive against them, while creating a much broader chilling effect that could frighten other immigrants and their family members away from health care, food assistance and other programs.
