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.
