Maine is joining a lawsuit brought by 19 other states and the District of Columbia against the Trump Administration over its decision to restrict access to public programs based on immigration status. The plaintiffs object to what they say is the administration's undoing of nearly 30 years of precedent.
The lawsuit follows guidance from the federal government in early July that said states must now screen individuals for lawful status before allowing them to access domestic violence shelters, childcare, crisis counseling centers, soup kitchens, and other services.
The guidance is contrary to what federal agencies have informed states during five previous presidential administrations when it was not necessary to check immigration records to walk into a homeless shelter, for example.
The lawsuit says forcing people to produce these documents in order to access vital services is "not the law" and the Constitution forbids this type of restriction.
It says the change will force states to dramatically restructure their social safety nets and will render them inaccessible to the country's most vulnerable.
New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont are also part of the lawsuit filed in federal court in Rhode Island.
