Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule Designed To Impede Immigrants Seeking Green Cards

President Trump participates in a ceremony commemorating the 200th mile of border wall at the international border with Mexico in San Luis, Ariz., on June 23, 2020.

Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images

U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman in Chicago, Ill., rejected a rule Monday implemented by the Trump administration that aimed to deny green cards to immigrants utilizing food stamps and other public benefits. The decision applies nationwide, not just in the state of Illinois.

The Illinois Coalition of Immigrant and Refugee Rights, as well as Cook County, filed suit in September 2019 in hopes of blocking the rule, but the rule was placed into effect last January by the U.S. Supreme Court. However, Feinerman said the rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs the process that federal agencies use to develop and issue regulations, the Associated Press reported.

The policy attempted to deny an immigrant’s green card application if they were found to be accessing programs such as food stamps or other health or housing benefits, according to court documents. Those applicants would have been considered a public charge under the Trump Administration’s new rule.