Blue states challenge Trump-era broadened public-charge test for immigrants

A coalition of Democratic-led states filed a federal lawsuit to block the Trump-era public-charge rule that expands which public benefits count against immigrants seeking permanent status. Critics say it unlawfully broadens the definition of public charge by allowing officials to weigh benefits used by applicants and even a family member, potentially endangering green-card petitions. Officials like California Attorney General Rob Bonta and NYC Corporation Counsel Steve Banks have criticized it as cruel and dangerous, arguing it erodes a century of settled law.