Federal judges in three states in the US have temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s policy to deny Green Cards to immigrants who cannot afford healthcare and use government benefits. The Trump administration had announced that immigrants who use Medicaid, food stamps and other government benefits will not get Green Cards or immigrant visas.
On Friday, rulings in California, New York and Washington came in quick succession just four days before the new rules were set to take effect with the judges ruling in favour of 21 States and the District of Columbia, which challenged the policy almost immediately after it was announced in August.
US District Judge George Daniels in New York said the policy redefined longstanding immigration laws with a new framework that had “no logic.” Allowing the policy to go into effect now, he said, would have a significant impact on “law-abiding residents who have come to this country to seek a better life.”
“Overnight, the rule will expose individuals to economic insecurity, health instability, denial of their path to citizenship and potential deportation,” Daniels wrote. “It is a rule that will punish individuals for their receipt of benefits provided by our government, and discourages them from lawfully receiving available assistance intended to aid them in becoming contributing members of society.”