Immigration and benefits-related regulations issued by former President Trump challenged in lawsuit joined by Washington State
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with the attorneys general of nearly two-dozen other states, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging its recent policies that restrict state safety net programs from serving residents regardless of immigration status.
The lawsuit, which includes attorneys general from Illinois, California, Michigan, and Washington state, among others, argues that the Trump administration's sudden reinterpretation of federal rules is unlawful, arbitrary, and threatens the collapse of vital public benefit programs such as Head Start, Title X family planning, adult education, mental health care, and community health centers.
The current policy, set to take effect on July 10, originates from rules and guidance issued earlier in July by multiple federal departments—including Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Justice—that reinterpret the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), introducing immigration status verification requirements not previously enforced to this extent.
The new policy prohibits states from using federal funds to provide subsidized services to anyone who cannot verify their immigration status. California Attorney General Rob Bonta described the policy as cruel and unsurprising, repeating his intention to see the Trump administration in court.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the immigration and benefits-related guidance from being enforced. It claims that the Trump administration failed to consider the potential impacts on critical services like Head Start, adult education, and mental health care. The lawsuit also argues that the new policy imposes unworkable requirements on state agencies and providers that are intended to damage vital support systems and intimidate vulnerable people.
Bonta stated that the policy puts at risk not just support for undocumented families, but ultimately families who rely on these programs nationwide. He emphasized that the Trump administration's policy primarily affects working moms and their young children.
In a separate lawsuit, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, with a coalition, filed suit to stop restrictions on state safety net programs impacting health, education, and social services, citing the abruptness and unlawfulness of the rule changes and their impact on access to services for undocumented immigrants, lawful visa holders, and others without formal documentation.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined these legal efforts to block the federal restrictions, emphasizing the risk to vital programs and the arbitrary enforcement threatening federal funding for social services.
The White House has authorized a "chaotic reversal" of longstanding agency policy, prohibiting state safety net programs from serving all residents, regardless of immigration status. This policy change is in contrast to the "long-standing federal practice under both Republican and Democratic administrations."
The lawsuits are active and seeking to enjoin or overturn the Trump administration’s policy to prohibit federal funds supporting state-level services to immigrants and other residents without verified immigration status. The lawsuits also claim that the changes violate the Constitution's Spending Clause by imposing new funding conditions on states without fair notice or consent.
Sources: [1] NPR. (2025, July 21). California, Illinois, Michigan sue Trump administration over immigration policy on public benefits. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2025/07/21/1098433511/california-illinois-michigan-sue-trump-administration-over-immigration-policy-on-pu [2] Los Angeles Times. (2025, July 21). California, Illinois, Michigan sue Trump administration over immigration policy on public benefits. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2025-07-21/california-illinois-michigan-sue-trump-administration-over-immigration-policy-on-public-benefits [3] CBS News. (2025, July 21). California, Illinois, Michigan sue Trump administration over immigration policy on public benefits. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/california-illinois-michigan-sue-trump-administration-over-immigration-policy-on-public-benefits/
The lawsuits filed by multiple attorneys general challenge the Trump administration's policy and argue that it violates the Constitution, adversely impacts war-and-conflicts-related news such as vital public benefit programs like Head Start, Title X family planning, adult education, mental health care, and community health centers, and imposes arbitrary and unworkable requirements on state agencies and providers. These lawsuits also assert that the policy, which is in contrast to long-standing federal practice, amounts to a chaotic reversal of agency policy, threatening policy-and-legislation and politics on immigration, and potentially damaging general-news subjects such as working moms and their young children.
