Lawsuit by New York, D.C., 19 other states to end feds' squeeze on immigrant services

A change to federal rules putting tighter restrictions on social services for immigrants in the country illegally will "gut lifesaving" programs for the needy regardless of citizenship status, Attorney General Letitia James said Monday in announcing a lawsuit against the Trump administration by New York, Washington D.C., and 19 other states aimed at reversing the new mandates.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, alleges the mandates bar "many safety net programs from serving all residents," a news release from James' office stated. The release listed such programs as Head Start, Meals on Wheels, child welfare, domestic violence shelters, housing assistance, mental health treatment, food banks and community health centers. The Trump administration changes are "a chaotic reversal of decades of agency policy."

Restrictions announced earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services replaced a nearly 30-year-old interpretation of federal laws governing immigrants' access to services.

"For decades, states like New York have built health, education, and family support systems that serve anyone in need," James said in the release. "These programs work because they are open, accessible, and grounded in compassion. Now, the federal government is pulling that foundation out from under us overnight, jeopardizing cancer screenings, early childhood education, primary care, and so much more."

In the federal government's "rush to harm immigrant communities, the administration is poised to harm tens of thousands of low-income families ... including U.S. citizens and lawful residents," the release continues.

Other states joining the lawsuit are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, according to the release.

As a result of the change to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, also known as PRWORA, a 1996 law governing access to public benefits, state programs are in danger of losing federal funds and many providers "are ill-equipped to implement the new policies under any timeline," the statement from James' office states. "Children in foster care, domestic violence survivors, people leaving homelessness, and many other vulnerable communities could lose access to some of their most critical supports."

A July 10 HHS announcement called the change a "significant policy shift to restore compliance with federal law and ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits intended for the American people are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens."

"For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people."

The states want the federal court "to declare the new rules unlawful" and issue preliminary and permanent injunctions to halt implementation," the announcement from James' office stated, "vacate the rules and restore long-standing practice, and prevent the federal government from using PRWORA as a pretext to dismantle core safety net programs in the future."

The federal government "acted unlawfully by issuing sweeping new mandates without following the required rulemaking process , in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act," the announcement said. The change will "gut lifesaving health, education and social service programs for low-income families," the attorney general said.

New York City officials also announced their support of the coalition's lawsuit. 

By Olivia Winslow

olivia.winslow@newsday.com@newsollie