Zohran Mamdani and New York Attorney General Letitia James have sued President Donald Trump's administration to block a new immigration rule that would expand the public charge rule and let the federal government deny some visa and green card applications based on welfare status. The change is set to take effect Sept. 18.
The lawsuit lands at a moment when immigrants and advocates are watching closely because the rule would widen the standard used in visa and green card decisions. Under the public charge rule, the government can already deny an application if it believes a person is likely to rely on public benefits, and the Trump administration now seeks to expand the list of benefits that could count against applicants.
Mamdani said at a press conference Monday that the changes would not affect citizens or people seeking humanitarian relief such as asylum. He also said the new rule “sweeps aside more than a century of established law” and is “intentionally vague” in a way meant to create uncertainty and fear. In his telling, the policy is not just stricter; it is broad enough to keep immigrant New Yorkers guessing about what help could be used against them.
That argument cuts to the heart of the fight. The Trump administration is pursuing the expansion as a federal policy change, but Mamdani and James are asking a court to stop it before it takes effect, saying the new standard is written so loosely that it can reach too far. They are challenging not only the policy’s direction, but the way it could turn everyday benefit use into a test of immigration status.
Trump has also used Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as political targets, saying it was “inappropriate” for them to be laughing during a 9/11 memorial ceremony. But the legal fight over the public charge rule is separate and more immediate: unless a court intervenes, the expanded standard is set to arrive on Sept. 18, and the next question is whether judges will let the administration redraw the line before that date.
