The Trump administration will block migrants living in the country illegally from accessing taxpayer-funded benefits, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday, July 10. The agency said it has officially reversed a previous policy interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA).
PRWORA was made during the Clinton administration, and a 1998 interpretation of it “improperly extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens,” HHS said.
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Statement from HHS Secretary
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law and protects vital resources for the American people.”
The new policy ensures HHS programs follow the law more closely, ensuring benefits only go to those who are actually eligible, according to the agency.
Meanwhile, Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association, said the policy will create “fear and confusion” for families, and that it “undermines the fundamental commitment” that the country has made to children.
Head Start now limited to US citizens
Head Start is now limited to United States citizens and is officially considered a “federal public benefit” under PRWORA. HHS expects this shift will free up hundreds of millions in services for eligible American families.
According to early estimates from HHS, this change could result in American citizens receiving up to $374 million more in Head Start services each year, since access will no longer be extended to migrants residing in the U.S illegally.
“Alongside HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is committed to providing and protecting resources that serve America’s most vulnerable,” acting assistant secretary Andrew Gradison said in a statement. “Head Start’s classification under the new PRWORA interpretation puts American families first by ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are reserved for eligible individuals.”
The changes follow a February executive order requiring agencies to ensure that federal benefits aren’t being improperly given to unauthorized immigrants.
