New York announced a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Donald Trump administration to halt the implementation of the “public charge” rule. This immigration policy seeks to deny permanent residence cards—known as “green cards”—to immigrants who receive public assistance.

RELATED:

The Deportation Paradox: When Trump’s Anti-Migrant Policies Turn Against Melania

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Joining the coalition are the cities of Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle; the counties of Santa Clara (California) and King (Washington); the organization Public Rights Project; and around twenty states.

In addition to New York and the District of Columbia, the participating states 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.

“We don’t want to get a temporary injunction; we want to completely stop the implementation of this rule,” stated Mamdani at a press conference at City Hall alongside New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading a separate lawsuit against the same rule. The reform is scheduled to take effect this Friday.

The new rule—which represents a step backward from the framework established by former President Joe Biden—grants immigration officials greater discretion to deny permanent residency permits to immigrants deemed likely to rely on government financial assistance.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will consider the receipt of any public benefit subject to means-testing. Furthermore, the rule will allow agents to take into account benefits requested on behalf of family members, including children who are U.S. citizens.

Letitia James just sued the Trump admin for daring to say foreigners shouldn’t get a green card if they’re going to live off U.S. welfare.

That’s it. That’s the “crisis.”
Trump restored the public-charge rule: if you’re likely to drain SNAP, Medicaid, and other taxpayer… pic.twitter.com/7IzLCSz1Eg

— GRANDPA’s FREE ADVICE (@GOP_is_Gutless) September 14, 2026

“Make no mistake: this is a brazen attempt to deprive New Yorkers of the services they rely on and the public benefits to which they are entitled,” the mayor asserted. He warned that some families have already begun foregoing essential services out of fear. It is estimated that up to 4 million people nationwide could drop their health insurance coverage alone, including 1.8 million children.

Mamdani projected that this situation could raise the premature mortality rate among immigrant communities in New York by as much as 10.6% over the next five years. Some of the affected programs include Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), affordable housing assistance, and universal school meal programs.

Court documents indicate that New York is particularly vulnerable due to its large immigrant population, extensive public benefit programs, and reliance on federal funding. The states filing the lawsuit assert that they will bear the cost of the policy, citing the risk of losing federal funds while public agencies face higher costs in managing the resulting confusion. If families stop using benefits to which they are legally entitled, the repercussions could extend to public health, local economies, schools, and public safety.

The defendants estimate that, nationwide, states will lose approximately $4.05 billion in annual federal government transfers earmarked solely for state Medicaid and CHIP programs,”the lawsuit states. Of that national total, the plaintiff states could lose nearly $2.2 billion due to reduced federal payments.

Immigrant rights advocates warn that this policy will harm hundreds of thousands of families—especially those with mixed immigration status—who might choose not to apply for benefits for fear of jeopardizing their immigration proceedings.

“The new ‘public charge’ rule seeks to steer immigrant families away from the programs that have kept people fed and healthy for decades,” Mamdani stated. “That fear will not be limited to the families targeted by the federal government. Families who remain fully eligible for benefits will feel a chilling effect, and all New Yorkers will pay the price. We will exhaust every resource at our disposal to look after New Yorkers,” the mayor concluded.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | United States President Donald Trump threatened in a social media post to halt trade with certain countries unless the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates. pic.twitter.com/xcBnQh1Rnf

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 8, 2026

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.