Maine has joined a multistate lawsuit challenging a rule change by the Trump administration that would make it easier for immigration officials to deny green cards to applicants who have received public benefits.
Federal officials have long had the authority to consider whether an applicant for entry or permanent status would become a "public charge," in the language of the Immigration Act of 1882.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York Monday, the coalition of states said that for over a century, "public charge" has been defined as someone who would or had become primarily dependent on the government for "long term subsistence."
Now, they said a new rule rescinding those guidelines gives immigration officers unfettered authority to deny legal immigration pathways for the use of any public benefit for any period of time.
The states argue the administration overstepped its authority in changing the rule without consulting Congress, and rushed it through without proper notice.
Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey has joined dozens of similar coalition lawsuits since the beginning of the second Trump administration, as Democratic attorneys general have banded together to challenge federal policy changes.
