BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration alleging that “unlawful” efforts to alter a longstanding policy are deterring immigrants from receiving public assistance they are entitled to.
In its lawsuit filed Wednesday, Baltimore asserts the Trump administration has expanded the State Department’s longstanding definition of “public charge” to restrict otherwise eligible immigrants from entering the U.S. The change allows consular officers to consider whether green card applicants or their relatives ever benefited from programs offering services like free vaccinations or school lunches.
The city asserts that African immigrants’ participation in the federal Head Start program has “virtually ceased” in Baltimore schools due to the policy change.
Mayor Catherine Pugh says the city is “determined to resist this latest attempt to deprive our immigrant communities of basic services.”
