A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from going ahead with plans to deny green cards. immigrants who have received Medicaid, food stamps or housing stamps, even on a limited basis, a wealth test that several states, led by New York, demanded during the coronavirus pandemic.
The judge, George B. Daniels, of the United States District Court in Manhattan, granted a temporary court order nationwide, suspending the eligibility requirements that were introduced last year and have presented several legal challenges, including before the Court Supreme.
The Supreme Court ruled in January that the Trump administration could move the plan forward, but that was before the pandemic.
In the past, green card applicants who relied on social services as their primary means of financial support or were institutionalized could be denied permanent residence under what is known as the “public charge” rule. But less than 1 percent of applicants were previously disqualified for public charge reasons.
President Trump has sought an expansion of the requirements, but critics argued that they could have a chilling effect on legal immigrants who needed medical treatment or financial help during the pandemic.
Judge Daniels wrote that the policy “is not living up to the severity of this global pandemic that continues to threaten the lives and economic well-being of the residents of the United States.”
“No person should hesitate to seek medical attention, nor should they endure punishment or punishment if they seek temporary financial help as a result of the impact of the pandemic,” he wrote.
It was the latest immigration clash between Democrats and the Trump administration, which was thwarted by the Supreme Court last month by completing a program that protects some 700,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation. This month, the administration withdrew a plan to eliminate visas for international students who only took classes online.
“This is a great victory to protect the health of our communities in New York and across the nation,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday night.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit included New York City, Connecticut and Vermont.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat, said in an interview Wednesday night that he expected the Trump administration to appeal the ruling.
“I don’t think there is any doubt that the president plans to continue his war on immigrants as long as he is president,” said Tong.
Mr. Tong said green card applicants would forgo going to the doctor or applying for food stamps to avoid being penalized.
“This is a great victory for the rule of law and for equity and public health,” he said. “It’s about how insecure and crazy it is to try to discourage people from seeking treatment for Covid or any other condition in the midst of a pandemic.”
