October 16, 2019
Pacifica Law Group Submits Amicus Brief in Lawsuit Challenging ‘Public Charge’ Rule
Pacifica Law Group attorneys Paul Lawrence and Alanna Peterson submitted an amicus brief on behalf of 40 state and national domestic violence and sexual assault organizations in three of the five lawsuits across the country challenging the Trump Administration’s public charge rule. The rule would effectively preclude immigrants who receive critical public benefits like food, shelter, and medical care from changing or extending their immigration visas or obtaining permanent resident status. The amicus brief explained the devastating impact that the rule would have on victims of gender-based violence, who often rely on those resources to escape and heal from abuse. Judge Peterson of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on Friday blocking enforcement of the rule (click here to see order), and the other courts have since followed suit. Learn more here.