(Bloomberg) -- More than a dozen states sued U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over a new rule aimed at denying legal status to documented immigrants if they receive any kind of public assistance -- echoing a suit filed Tuesday by San Francisco.
The suit filed Wednesday in Washington state alleges the rule is inconsistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows officials to deny admission to the U.S. to someone who is likely to become a “public charge.”
While the term has long been understood to mean someone who is primarily dependent on the government for support, a new rule finalized by the Department of Homeland Security expands the definition to cover adults who make nearly any use of various government assistance programs, including Medicaid, housing assistance and food stamps.
“The American Dream has always been about opportunity for all, not just the wealthy, but now our federal government is trying to keep out immigrants seeking to build a new life here, as families have done since the founding of our nation,” New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement.
Read More: Trump Rule Aimed at Poor Migrants Draws Suit in California
To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg
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