Washington (CNN) The city of Baltimore announced on Wednesday that it is suing the Trump administration over a new State Department immigration policy the city says is discouraging residents from accessing benefits.

"The Trump Administration's changes to (a State Department manual) put a thumb on the scale in favor of barring immigrants from the country if they have used any of a host of federal, state or local programs -- making it much harder for immigrants to reunite with their families," the lawsuit reads.

The suit names President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the State Department as defendants, and it charges the administration with violating the Constitution's equal protection guarantees.

"The change was motivated by the Trump administration's well-known hostility towards certain immigrant groups -- most notable Hispanic, Asian and African communities -- and is a violation of the federal laws governing administrative agencies, including the Constitution's guarantee of Equal Protection," read a statement from the office of Baltimore Democratic Mayor Catherine Pugh.

CNN has reached out to the State Department for comment on the suit.

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