(KMJ) The long list of lawsuits by California against the Trump administration just got longer.
This week, California joined 20 other states in suing the Trump administration over new rules limiting illegal immigrants’ access to public benefits.
State Attorney General Rob Bonta argues the policy violates federal law and unfairly harms working mothers and children. The affected programs include food aid, healthcare, shelters, and early childhood education.
The administration defends the rules as necessary to protect resources and deter illegal immigration.
“Let’s be clear: This latest salvo in the President’s inhumane anti-immigration campaign primarily goes after working moms and their young children,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a press release. “We’re not talking about waste, fraud, and abuse, we’re talking about programs that deliver essential childcare, healthcare, nutrition and education assistance, programs that have for decades been open to all because we understand that we are better off when everyone has the chance to succeed.”
The decision by President Donald Trump is contrary to law and a reversal of three decades of federal practice, according to the press release.
Undocumented immigrants are already barred from using most federal programs, but since 1997, the federal government has permitted states to use federal funds to provide certain programs based on need regardless of immigration status:
- Short-term shelter or housing assistance.
- Programs, services or assistance to help individuals during adverse weather conditions.
- Soup kitchens, community food banks, senior nutrition programs, and other nutritional services for persons requiring special assistance.
- Medical and public health services and mental health, disability, or substance use treatment.
- Early childhood education, child care services for low-income people, and adult education programs.
