A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's "public charge" rule from taking effect nationwide.
The ruling comes in response to a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and immigrant rights' organizations.
"The rule that this administration was proposing was a drastic deviation from the original intent of Congress," James said in a phone interview. "It was never ever intended to limit or narrow the definition of 'public charge.'"
Under the proposed rule change from the Trump administration, immigrants in the United States would have their immigration status disrupted if they took any form of public assistance, including food stamps. They would not have been able to obtain green cards or attain permanent residency.
"The administration is really overreaching," said Hasan Shafiqullah, of the Legal Aid Society. "By trying to enact this rule — not only in the substance but we know the context in which it came about: the racist animus behind it. It's a racist rule."
The court's action is a big victory for James, who has been fighting the Trump administration on a number of issues since she took office.
"It was arbitrary, it was capricious, it was mean-spirited, and it was upended," the attorney general said.
The new "public charge" rule was scheduled to take effect next week, on October 15.
"We joined this lawsuit to really push back and fight against this horrific rule that would tear apart families and have a huge impact on our communities," said Rebecca Telzak of immigrant rights' advocacy group Make the Road.
The court's ruling may not be the final word on this. The federal government will decide whether or not to appeal, and it could conceivably be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.