The City of Baltimore plans to sue the Trump administration over its proposed, highly controversial change to longstanding federal immigration policy that would make it more difficult for immigrants to obtain green cards or admission to the United States if they use public assistance like Medicare, food stamps and housing subsidies.
City Solicitor Andre Davis said in an email Tuesday that the case “concerns Trump’s attempts to make it harder for underprivileged immigrants to come to the United States” by changing the definition of “public charge” in the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual. The phrase is a provision of immigration law that the U.S. State Department can use to deny entry or green card authorization to someone if they currently or will primarily depend on government-funded long-term care or cash assistance.
For decades, “public charge” has applied for those using cash assistance or long-term government-funded care to be in the country. But it hasn’t included other forms of assistance like nutrition and housing assistance, including Section 8 and public housing, or health care programs like Medicare Part D and Medicaid.
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