New York City leads lawsuit against Trump’s ‘public charge’ immigration rule

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and mayors from cities around the country filed a joint lawsuit Monday seeking to block a Trump administration rule change making it harder for lawful immigrants to receive green cards or visas, according to Politico.

The rule, set to take effect Friday, would let immigration agents weigh use of Medicaid or food assistance when deciding whether an applicant qualifies as a “public charge.”

At a City Hall press conference, Mamdani warned that “people could die as a result of these changes,” citing estimates that up to 4 million people, including 1.8 million children, could drop health coverage to avoid the label.

New York City leads a coalition including Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Seattle and King County, while Attorney General Letitia James is leading a separate suit, arguing the rule is “arbitrary and capricious” and stretches a 1822 legal standard never meant to cover people who occasionally seek public assistance.

A DHS spokesperson dismissed the lawsuits, framing the concern as sanctuary states fearing lost federal funds rather than genuine harm to immigrant families. With the rule due to take effect this week, the courts are now left to decide whether it stands.