California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined a coalition of states Monday in suing to block the Trump administration from implementing a new rule that would make it easier to deny legal residency to immigrants deemed likely to use public assistance.

The lawsuit, filed Monday morning in federal court in New York, argued that the administration exceeded its authority by attempting to rewrite more than 140 years of immigration law. The new rule is set to take effect Friday, and it was unclear whether the lawsuit would delay its implementation.

The rule has drawn criticism from opponents who say it could cause some families to choose between using safety net programs and risking rejection of their applications for green cards. The Department of Homeland Security, which announced the change in July, estimated that the new rule could lead about 950,000 people to disenroll from or forgo enrollment in public benefits programs.

“No family should have to choose between accessing healthcare and nutrition assistance today — or protecting their pathway to a green card tomorrow,” Bonta said in a news release Monday morning.

The proposed rule change centers on “public charge,” a term dating to the Immigration Act of 1882 that allows the government to deny a green card to a person likely to become primarily dependent on the government for assistance. Immigration officers historically have weighed only cash benefits under this category, but the Trump administration’s change would broaden what officers could consider.

California sues to block Trump change to public charge rule | Sacramento Bee