The Legal Aid Society has filed a motion in the U.S. District Court of NY (Judge George B. Daniels), along with the New York Attorney General, to halt the “public charge” rule for the remainder of the coronavirus outbreak, as reported by Law 360.

Immigrant rights advocates insist that the controversial 2019 rule discourages vulnerable immigrants from seeking medical care, fearing that the information will negatively impact a future immigration application.

“There are immigrants around the city — some of whom are subject to public charge, some of whom aren’t — who are afraid to seek health care, food assistance and other types of services they need to get through both the public health and the economic crisis we’re now in, because they fear repercussions under the public charge rule,” said Susan Welber, a staff attorney in the Civil Law Reform Unit at The Legal Aid Society, and member of the litigating team.