Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its recent rule change involving immigrants and their eligibility for government-issued welfare benefits, according to an exclusive report by Breitbart News.
On Thursday night, Republican Paxton confirmed the lawsuit on Twitter.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Fair and Humane Public Charge Rule restore the “historical understanding of a ‘public charge’ that existed for decades, until the [Trump] administration began considering the fringe public health benefits such as Medicaid and Nutritional Assistance as part of a Public Charge Inadmissibility Determination Rule Changes… speaks to the Biden administration’s commitment to restoring trust in our immigration legal system.”
On the other hand, however, the Texas AG office argues that the rule change “prevents factors required by law from being considered in determining whether an alien could become a ‘public burden.’
Paxton’s office also says federal immigration law requires a “public charge” determination for immigrants, which ostensibly prohibits immigrants from staying in the country “if they are likely to use” welfare programs, such as Medicaid, vouchers government meal or housing assistance.
“The Biden administration has demonstrated its intent to break the law and open borders to illegal aliens who will rely on welfare benefits,” said a press release from Paxton’s office via Breitbart.
The statement continued, “The Biden administration is committed to opening borders to foreigners who lack the ability to care for themselves. Texans shouldn’t have to pay for these expensive immigrants, nor should any other American.
“I will continue to uphold the rule of law and fight to ensure that the enormous costs of illegal immigration are not an additional burden on taxpayers,” Paxton added.
Studies show, according to Breitbart, that taxpayers are billed about $1,600 per immigrant annually and that immigrant households consume 33 percent “more social money than US citizens.”
Also, according to Breitbart, about 63 percent of “noncitizen households use at least one form of public assistance, while only about 35 percent of Native American households receive assistance.”
In its lawsuit, the Texas AG office argues that the rule change limits “public burden” considerations to cash benefits, disregarding “in-kind” government benefits such as retirement, welfare, health, disability, food, assisted living, post-secondary education, and many more. Those non-monetary benefits were included in former President Donald Trump’s 2019 rule expansion.”
The rule change, according to the wording of the lawsuit, also “eliminates the statutory requirement” by making most family support applicants automatically ineligible on public charge grounds unless they obtain an enforceable affidavit of a supporter’s support, prohibiting a meaningful assessment of whether the affidavit is true and correct.”
The bottom line is that the Texas AG office says Biden’s rule change is aimed at ensuring that “virtually no aliens are considered a public charge.”
