White House wins partial victory in effort to disincentivize immigrants taking welfare

The White House welcomed an appeals court decision allowing a plan to expand rules that would disqualify immigrants who use government assistance programs from obtaining permanent legal status, but it said its hands are tied due to injunctions in other courts.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Thursday lifted two district court injunctions by judges in Spokane, Washington, and Oakland, California, filed over the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services plan to block immigrants who used government benefits, otherwise known as people deemed a "public charge."

"The Ninth Circuit has rightly recognized the administration's authority to adopt an interpretation of the 'public charge' restriction more faithful to and consistent with the scope of the statute passed by Congress," the White House press secretary said in a statement Friday.

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