Politics & Government Active Updated Sep 20, 2026
The public charge fight
New York City and Attorney General Letitia James sued in Manhattan federal court to block a Trump administration rule, set to take effect Sept. 18, that lets immigration officers count lawful use of benefits like food stamps and housing assistance against green-card applicants. The city estimates more than 16,000 NYC Health + Hospitals patients on Medicaid or Child Health Plus could disenroll, and projects a rise in premature mortality among immigrants and citizen children in mixed-status households. The fight tests whether a judge blocks the rule before it takes effect, as courts did with a s
The story so far
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Sep 18, 2026 Latest
Four immigrant-advocacy groups, including Make the Road New York and African Communities Together, asked a Manhattan federal court on Friday to void the Trump administration's public charge rule, arguing it penalizes green-card applicants for using benefits like WIC, Head Start and food aid that Congress never treated as dependency.
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Sep 16, 2026
Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 21 other states and Mayor Mamdani filed a separate cities' lawsuit against the public charge rule set to take effect Friday, Spectrum News NY1 reported. DHS said the suits reflect sanctuary states' fear of losing federal funds.
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Sep 15, 2026
New York City, joined by several other cities and counties, and a states' coalition led by Attorney General Letitia James filed lawsuits in Manhattan federal court to block a Trump administration rule, set to take effect Sept. 18, that would let immigration officers weigh use of benefits like food stamps and housing assistance against green-card applicants. The city said more than 16,000 NYC Health + Hospitals patients on Medicaid or Child Health Plus could disenroll, and projected premature mortality could rise 4.4% to 10.6% over five years among city immigrants and citizen children in mixed-status households.
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