Judge blocks Trump's "public charge" wealth test for green cards
A federal judge in Illinois on Monday blocked the centerpiece of the Trump administration's efforts to limit legal immigration, prohibiting officials from enforcing a wealth test on green card petitions on the eve of a hotly contested presidential election.
The ruling by Judge Gary Feinerman of the U.S. District Court in Chicago blocks the so-called "public charge" rule issued by the Department of Homeland Security in 2019 on a nationwide level. The regulation gives U.S. immigration officials more power to reject petitions for legal permanent residency from immigrants who they determine rely — or could rely — on public benefits like food stamps, housing vouchers or Medicaid.
Previously, Clinton-era guidance instructed U.S. immigration officials to only deem immigrants "public charges" if they were receiving government cash benefits or long-term institutionalized care.
Before the new rules were set to take effect in October 2019, they were blocked by several federal judges, including one who called it "repugnant to the American Dream of prosperity and opportunity through hard work and upward mobility." After months of litigation and an intervention by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Trump administration first implemented the regulation this February.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/judge-blocks-trumps-public-charge-wealth-test-for-green-cards/ar-BB1aEAja?li=BBnb7Kz