Washington, D.C., January 8, 2020: The Second U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Manhattan, NY, decided today to maintain an injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing its new public charge rule.

The new public charge rule dates from October, 2019. The public charge rule would bar persons seeking temporary visas to the U.S. (including through change of status or extension of status), or are seeking green card status in the U.S. if they use government assistance such as Medicaid or food stamps. This rule would generally impact poorer immigrants or immigrants who were simply unaware of the negative immigration consequences of using Medicaid or food stamps.

Court of Appeals set a new date on February 14, 2020 as the deadline for written legal arguments to be submitted in the government’s appeal of a lower court decision against the new public charge rule. The actual oral arguments before the Court of Appeal on that case would be scheduled shortly thereafter.

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