NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani vowed to fight a new policy from the Trump administration that would give immigration officers the authority to deny green cards for immigrants who’ve used public benefits like Medicaid and housing assistance.

The policy could place hundreds of thousands of immigrants under increased scrutiny and could deter them from using such programs, which can be a lifeline for struggling families, officials said.

“New York City will use every tool at our disposal to fight this attack on immigrant families and the communities that make our city the greatest on earth,” Mamdani said of the policy on social media, noting that the rule is not yet in effect.

The mayor didn’t offer specifics on how he plans to fight the policy, though. When the Trump administration previously moved to restrict green cards to those receiving public assistance in 2018, those efforts faced multiple legal challenges. The policy was later reversed by the Biden administration.

The new policy is set to go into effect on Sept. 18, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The shift is just the latest move from President Donald Trump to restrict both legal and illegal immigration.

“We are reaffirming the requirement of self-reliance, protecting public resources, and ending policies that encouraged dependency on hard-working American taxpayers,” the Department of Homeland Security said on social media of the rule change.

The law already requires immigrants seeking permanent residency or legal status to show they will not become a “public charge,” or someone primarily dependent on the government to get by.

That typically can include cash assistance programs or institutionalized long-term care — but now, under Trump’s new, broadened criteria, immigration officers may also consider the use of other benefits like food stamps or Medicaid.

Advocates have criticized the rule as a way to impose a wealth test of sorts to immigration. And DHS has also acknowledged that the new policy could lead immigrants or those in mixed-status families to withdraw from programs they’re already enrolled in or for fear of that impacting their status.

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