By Aimee Picchi | CBS News
President Donald Trump faces a lawsuit over the federal government declining to issue $1,200 stimulus checks to U.S. citizens who are married to immigrants without Social Security numbers. The litigation comes after the IRS said that only married couples in which both spouses hold valid Social Security numbers will receive the payments.
The suit, filed by a U.S. citizen and Illinois resident identified only as “John Doe,” alleges that the ban violates the Constitution and is a form of discrimination “based solely on whom he chose to marry.” Two of the attorneys who are representing John Doe told CBS MoneyWatch that more American citizens in the same situation have reached out to them since they filed the complaint.
“To block stimulus payments to US citizens married to immigrants without social security numbers would be a constitutional infringement on that persons right to marry and frankly, serves little government interest. Furthermore, withholding the additional 500 credit for US citizen children from families where one parent is an immigrant hurts these children just as much as the immigrant parent. Yet another example of this administration attempting to target immigrants in the face of reason or sound policy.” ~Darius Amiri, Chair of Immigration Department at Rose Law Group