Judges block's Trump's policy that favors wealthy immigrants

A federal judge blocked Friday a Trump administration rule that was scheduled to take effect next week that would have denied permanent legal residence to low-income immigrants living in the United States.

The nationwide injunction from District Judge George Daniels in New York City halts the administration's attempt to redefine what constitutes a "public charge," or immigrants who are, or who might become, overly dependent on government assistance.

The rule would have affected roughly half a million legal immigrants in the U.S. who apply each year to become legal permanent residents, also known as a green card holder. It would have been carried out by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that decides on immigration cases within the U.S.

Immigration activists bashed the rule as an elitist measure that would upend the nation's history of serving as a refuge for the world's destitute by only allowing wealthy immigrants to get a green card. Nearly a dozen lawsuits were filed by state attorneys general and immigration advocacy groups challenging the new rule