Judge blocks Trump immigration rule, calls it 'repugnant to American Dream'

FILE PHOTO: A Mexican one-year-old baby, who is awaiting her turn to seek asylum in the U.S. with her mother, is seen in front of the gates to the Gateway International Bridge in Matamoros, Mexico October 10, 2019. REUTERS/Veronica G. Cardenas/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge in New York on Friday temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule that would deny residency to aspiring immigrants deemed likely to require government assistance, calling it "repugnant to the American Dream."

The rule, finalised in August, vastly expanded who could be considered a possible "public charge," applying to anyone who might in the future need temporary government help such as food stamps, Medicaid or housing aid. Previously it applied to immigrants who would be primarily dependent on the government.