Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s move to bar illegal immigrants from receiving welfare benefits, describing illegal immigrants as an “essential part of who we are,” according to a report from The Gateway Pundit.
The lawsuit targets the administration’s decision to resurrect the “public charge” rule, a policy that makes legal immigrants less likely to obtain green cards if they have relied on welfare programs such as subsidized healthcare, food stamps, or public housing in the past.
The ‘Public Charge’ Rule at the Center of the Fight
The Trump administration has restored the rule after it was previously blocked, arguing that it discourages welfare-dependent immigration to the United States. Under the policy, federal officials can consider an immigrant’s use of means-tested or income-based public benefits when making determinations about their immigration status.
Democrats, including Johnson and Mamdani, oppose the rule and argue that migrants who are not economically self-sufficient still have a right to be subsidized by American taxpayers through welfare programs. The lawsuit from the two mayors seeks to block the administration from enforcing the revived policy.
In a message to the city, Johnson asserted that reinstating the rule “sweeps aside more than a century of settled law, as well as decades of federal guidance establishing clear limits on how public charge determinations can be made.”
The mayor further alleged that the administration’s rule “dramatically and unlawfully expands the government’s authority to consider an immigrant’s use of public benefits, allowing the federal government to consider virtually any means-tested or income-based public benefits while inviting officers to make decisions that are inconsistent and discriminatory.”
Johnson’s comments echo the political approach of Mamdani, the socialist mayor of New York City, who has also positioned himself as a defender of both legal and illegal migrants’ access to U.S. welfare programs. The two mayors have now formalized their opposition through the joint legal challenge.
A Potential Political Vulnerability in Chicago
Johnson has recently announced he will seek a second term as mayor, and the immigration and welfare issue could prove to be a significant hurdle in that campaign. Black residents of Chicago have been outspoken in their criticism of Johnson’s focus on illegal immigrants, arguing that his attention to newcomers has come at the expense of the needs of Americans already living in the city.
In recent years, according to the report, Johnson has directed billions of dollars toward what critics describe as the comfort of illegal immigrants. That spending has become a flashpoint in local politics, particularly among residents who argue that resources should be directed to longstanding communities rather than to newly arrived migrants.
The lawsuit represents an escalation of the broader political and legal battle between Democratic-led cities and the Trump administration over immigration policy and the scope of federal authority over public benefits. The outcome could shape how local governments respond to federal rules governing immigrant access to welfare programs.
Johnson’s framing of illegal immigrants as an “essential part of who we are” has drawn sharp criticism from opponents of his immigration policies, with the report noting that Democrats are often accused of obscuring the distinction between legal and illegal immigration when discussing these issues.
The public charge rule has been a recurring point of contention in American immigration policy, with supporters arguing it protects taxpayers and discourages dependence on government assistance, while opponents contend it unfairly penalizes immigrants and discourages them from seeking needed services.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/chicago-mayor-brandon-johnson-says-illegal-immigrants-are/