New public charge regulation struck down in federal courts

Posted: Oct 14, 2019 / 06:32 PM CDT / Updated: Oct 14, 2019 / 06:32 PM CDT

File – In this Jan. 31, 2019, file photo, hundreds of people overflow onto the sidewalk in a line snaking around the block outside a U.S. immigration office with numerous courtrooms in San Francisco. Federal judges are being asked to block a new Trump administration policy scheduled to take effect next week that would deny legal permanent residency to many immigrants over the use of public benefits. Almost a dozen lawsuits have been filed from New York to California to prevent the “public charge” rule from taking effect on Oct. 15. Judges have indicated a willingness to issue rulings before the scheduled start date. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

ROGERS, Ark. (KFTA) — An element of President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda was struck down in federal courts late last week, and a local attorney said it’ll be a while for it to be revisited, if it is at all.

The public charge rule would’ve made it harder for low-income immigrants to become legal residents or U.S. citizens. It was set to go into effect Oct. 15, but a federal injunction blocked it before it could be implemented. It would’ve rejected citizenship applications based on whether an immigrant could be a burden on the government.

Aaron Cash is an immigration attorney in Rogers, and he said folks in Northwest Arkansas were afraid of the implementation.

“It is surprising that it happened so close [to the deadline], but sometimes that happens,” Cash said. “Courts can take some time, but the judge issued that on time, so it put a stop to that. So, the government cannot implement it.”

Cash said the government could still appeal the injunction. If that happens, it’ll take months or even years before it can be brought up again.