The departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, Agriculture, Labor, and Justice are ending illegal aliens’ abilities to leech off the American taxpayer by taking advantage of federal programs.
The departments announced on Thursday that illegals will no longer be able to access the government programs, as they have been able to do since the Clinton administration. The Trump administration made the move to “ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits intended for the American people are not diverted to subsidize illegal aliens,” HHS said in its announcement.
In doing so, the federal government rescinded a 1997 Dear Colleague letter that exempted such programs from being subject to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which limits “federal public benefits” to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and some “qualified aliens.”
The Education Department said that the Clinton-era letter “mischaracterized the law by creating artificial distinctions between federal benefit programs based upon the method of assistance.”
The move brings various programs in line with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump called “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders.”
The White House said that the Department of Justice “is closing longstanding loopholes that have allowed illegal aliens to access taxpayer-funded benefits,” but did not go into more detail, and the department has not yet released more information.
Department of Education
The Department of Education is ending illegal alien access to federal money for career, technical, and adult education programs.
Thursday’s “interpretive rule” also dictates that other programs, such as Pell Grants and student loans created by the Higher Education Act, are not accessible to illegal aliens either.
“Postsecondary education programs funded by the federal government should benefit American citizens, not illegal aliens,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens to participate in our career, technical, or adult education programs or activities. The Department will ensure that taxpayer funds are reserved for citizens and individuals who have entered our country through legal means who meet federal eligibility criteria.”
Providers of programs now have “obligations to verify the eligibility of participants.”
The department will start enforcing the new rule on August 9.
The Trump administration has also been active at a state level in ensuring that illegal aliens are not qualified for benefits like in-state tuition prices, as the Daily Caller reported.
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS is blocking illegal aliens from programs like Head Start, which provides subsidized preschool, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services, as well as federally funded community centers.
The department noted that as Head Start becomes “reserved for American citizens from now on,” Americans could see $374 million in additional services each year.
Other examples of programs that will now be reserved for Americans only include: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics; Community Mental Health Services Block Grant; Community Services Block Grant (CSBG); Health Center Program, Health Workforce Programs “not otherwise previously covered (including grants, loans, scholarships, payments, and loan repayments)”; Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment, Prevention, and Recovery Support Services Programs administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness Grant Program; Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant; Title IV-E Educational and Training Voucher Program; Title IV-E Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program; Title IV-E Prevention Services Program; and the Title X Family Planning Program.
While HHS said that the list is “not exhaustive,” it also stated that “additional programs” to be brought under the new guidelines “will be announced in program-specific guidance.”
The notice of the revised policy will take “effect immediately upon its publication in the Federal Register,” but it has a 30-day comment period.
Department of Agriculture
USDA is stopping illegal alien access to federally funded food assistance programs.
“The generosity of the American taxpayer has long been abused by faulty interpretations of 1996 welfare reform law,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said. “Today’s notice makes clear its intent — illegal aliens should not receive government dollars.”
The Thursday move from USDA comes after Rollins sent April 24 guidance to all state agencies to ensure that illegal aliens are not accessing federal benefits, and telling them to “enhance identity and immigration verification practices” for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
That guidance was followed by a May 6 letter requiring that all benefits given out by SNAP be accounted for and that records be shared with the federal government.
Department of Labor
Illegal aliens had also been able to access workforce development services and get benefits from DOL grants.
In the DOL’s announcement, beneficiaries of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) will now be required to verify that they are legally authorized to work in the United States.
“Our updated guidance makes clear that taxpayer-funded workforce services are reserved for individuals who are authorized to work in the United States, as required by federal law,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said. “By ensuring these programs serve their intended purpose, we’re protecting good-paying jobs for American workers and reaffirming this Administration’s commitment to securing our borders and ending illegal immigration.”
According to the department, the Biden administration “incentivized illegal immigration” by allowing illegals to take part in such programs. The Thursday guidance also requires that case files for beneficiaries be maintained with proper documentation, which will help employers ensure they are hiring workers legally.
Other programs affected are the WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth programs (“including statewide employment and training services funded by the Governor reserve”); WIOA National Dislocated Worker Grants; Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service; Reentry Employment Opportunities and “other programs authorized under Section 169 of WIOA”; YouthBuild; the National Farmworker Jobs Program; and the Senior Community Service Employment Program, DOL said.
Breccan F. Thies is a correspondent for The Federalist. He previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
