BATON
ROUGE, LA – Attorney General Jeff Landry has added Louisiana to the list of
states seeking to uphold a law that grants federal officials the ability to
reject applications for visas, green cards, or entry into the United States if
the applicants have a history of using public benefits and welfare.
The
legal move comes amid a request by the Biden Administration to dismiss an
upcoming case before the United States Supreme Court which challenges the
“public charge” definition in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
“President
Trump updated our Nation’s immigration policy to ensure prospective immigrants
be able to support themselves financially, not be primarily dependent on food
stamps, cash assistance, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, and other government
welfare,” said Attorney General Landry. “If this latest legal surrender by the
Biden Administration goes unchecked, Joe Biden will add even more burden on our
already overstrained welfare programs for Americans most in need. Hard-working
taxpayers in Louisiana should not have their tax money taken to fund those who
wish to cross our border in search of free benefits.”
Louisiana,
Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma,
Texas, and West Virginia filed the motion to intervene in City and
County of San Francisco; County of Santa Clara v. United States Citizenship and
Immigration Services, et al. late Wednesday. Their filing highlights
the exceptionally important and hotly debated issues at play, including the
costs imposed on the states.
“Because
invalidation of the Public Charge Rule will impose injury on the States –
estimated at $1.01 billion in foregone savings in transfer payments for all
states annually – and all of the requirements for intervention are met, this
Court should grant this motion,” argued Attorney General and his colleagues.
“The presence of the moving States here will ensure that the broad perspective
of the several states is represented.”