indica News Bureau-
A sixth lawsuit has reportedly been filed against the Trump administration’s attempt to penalize those immigrants who rely on noncash public benefits.
The lawsuit has been filed in the Manhattan federal court by attorneys with The Legal Aid Society, the Centre for Constitutional Rights, and the Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, according to a report on the website Law360.
The lawsuit accuses the administration of imposing an illegal ‘wealth test’ on immigrants.
More than 20 states and local governments, among them the states of New York and California, as well as several community groups have already challenged the administration’s interim rule, issued earlier this month and set to take effect on October 15, in different courts.
The six challenges so far are based on various grounds, ranging from equal protection afforded by the US Constitution to violation of the Fifth Amendment and even the ‘illegal’ nature of the appointment of Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The new interim rule anyone found likely to be a ‘public charge’, or someone who uses publicly funded social assistance programs, could become ineligible for permanent residency or even to enter the US legally.
Earlier, those who received noncash assistance such as health and housing benefits were not considered ‘public charges’. The new rule would club them with those receiving cash benefits.
