Mamdani takes on Trump over green card restrictions

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and state Attorney General Letitia James filed separate lawsuits Monday challenging a Trump administration rule, set to take effect Friday, that lets officials deny green cards and visas to immigrants judged likely to use public benefits like Medicaid or food assistance.

Mamdani's suit, joined by Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and other jurisdictions, and James's suit, joined by more than 20 states, both argue the rule abandons a century-old definition of ‘public charge’ in favor of one broad enough to count benefits used by citizen family members against an applicant.

The plaintiffs warn the rule will push eligible families away from preventive care, nutrition programs and school lunches out of fear, with costs landing on state and local governments and public health broadly. James previously won an identical fight against the first Trump administration in 2020, a ruling upheld by the Second Circuit.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson dismissed the suits as ‘ideological contortion,’ saying the agency was unmoved by predictions that immigrants would remove themselves from welfare programs.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.