Supreme Court rejects Republican attempt to revive Trump-era ‘public charge’ immigration rule

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a Republican attempt to revive the Trump-era “public charge” immigration rule.

The Supreme Court order is a blow to conservative states that had called for intervention after Biden dropped the rule.

The public charge policy denied green cards to immigrants who used food stamps or other public benefits.

The United States Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal filed by a group of Republicans seeking to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s «public charge» immigration policy, according to CNN.

The Supreme Court said on Wednesday, June 15, that it was wrong to wade into a dispute involving a Trump-era immigration rule that the Biden administration has dropped, so the justices dismissed the case.

A blow to Republicans

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The appeal was not about the legality of the public charge rule as such, but about how Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration went about repealing the rule and whether he followed proper procedures. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote separately to say that he agreed with the decision to dismiss the case. Roberts said «linked» to the case are «many issues beyond» the question the court agreed to decide on.

“It has become clear that this mare’s nest could stand in the way of our reaching the question presented,” he wrote. Roberts said the court’s action should not be taken as «a reflection of… the proper resolution of other litigation, current or future, related to the Public Charge Rule of 2019, its repeal, or its replacement with a new rule.”

What is the Trump-era public charge policy about?

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The court had said it would answer the question of whether Republican-led states, led by Arizona, could pick up the legal defense of the Trump-era «public charge» rule that denied green cards to immigrants who used food stamps or other public benefits such as Medicaid, reported AP.

The high court heard arguments in the case in February and appeared to be on track to decide it. But in a brief, unsigned opinion on Wednesday, the court said it was dismissing the case. That leaves a lower court ruling in favor of the Biden administration that states could not intervene.

A victory for Biden and for immigrants

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At the heart of the case was a federal law that says green card applicants cannot be a burden or «public charge» on the country. The Trump administration significantly expanded the definition, saying that the use of public benefits, including food stamps or Medicaid, could be grounds for disqualification. That led to court challenges, but the Supreme Court allowed the policy to go into effect while they continued.

The Biden administration rescinded the rule and has since announced new guidelines. The administration had said that, in practice, only three people were denied green cards by the government under the Trump administration and that their applications were later reopened and approved. Immigration groups have said the rule’s biggest impact was scaring immigrants, causing them to stop receiving benefits or not enroll in them for fear it could affect their applications to become lawful permanent residents.