Trump\u2019s new rule upends decades of immigration policy, the lawsuit alleges.<\/p>\n
Trump is expanding the guidelines to include immigrants receiving \u201cany and all benefits<\/a>.\u201d That could include\u00a0people who\u00a0receive cash assistance, Medi-Cal, food stamps, housing assistance, childcare and more. Due to the vague\u00a0guidelines, it can also include people in the applicant\u2019s household who accessed benefits \u2014 something that wasn\u2019t evaluated before.<\/p>\n \u201cThis rule amounts to a wealth test for residents who are lawfully seeking status,\u201d Santa Clara County Counsel Tony LoPresti said at the news conference. \u201cI believe the sonnet goes \u2018give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses\u2019 \u2014 not give me your wealthy, your famous and your fortune. Our nation\u2019s laws have never allowed that kind of wealth test, and in spite of President Trump\u2019s best efforts, he doesn\u2019t have the authority to unilaterally require one.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also tried expanding who could be deemed a public charge in 2019 during his first term, but considerations did not extend to family members, such as U.S. born children using government benefits. Santa Clara County, San Francisco and the state also sued Trump at the time and successfully blocked it.<\/p>\n California has filed 92 lawsuits against the Trump administration since his second term started\u00a0last year.<\/p>\n San Jose immigration attorney Richard Hobbs said the\u00a0expanded rules will force immigrants to choose between obtaining legal status or paying rent and having their U.S. family members get small amounts of public benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cSanta Clara County is already the most expensive housing market in the country,\u201d Hobbs told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cUndocumented immigrants, who usually work two jobs to pay rent, are now subject to a draconian shift after more than a century of established law.\u201d<\/p>\n LoPresti said the new rules are meant to bully immigrants and create fear that receiving any public benefits will result in a denial of a green card. This in turn puts greater pressure on Santa Clara County to provide medical care for people who opt out of Medi-Cal, and strains food banks, homeless shelters and other public services.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of Homeland Security anticipates the expanded public charge rule will cause\u00a0people in mixed-status households to drop their benefits, estimating the federal government will save more than $13 billion a year<\/a>. During Trump\u2019s first term, about one in seven immigrants<\/a> reported avoiding using government benefits after the announcement of the 2019 public charge rule changes.<\/p>\n \u201cThis rule is morally bankrupt,\u201d LoPresti said. \u201cThe rule puts people and families that need support to survive and thrive into vulnerable positions that will put unnecessary strain on our cities, our counties and our states.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"In-line](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789506129_185_interactive-321838904008.png\")
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