Trump order stops taxpayer-funded benefits for immigrants in country illegally

• President Donald Trump signed an executive order to freeze all federal funding to immigrants in the country illegally. It directs federal departments and agencies to take corrective action.

• The order also targets states that use federal funding to support “sanctuary” policies or assist illegal immigration, requiring eligibility verification for federal benefits.

• A report from the House Homeland Security Committee estimated that taxpayer funds could pay as much as $451 billion to care for “illegal aliens and gotaways” since January 2021.

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday night released his latest executive order that freezes all federal funding to immigrants in the country illegally. The order directs federal departments and agencies that provide benefits to undocumented immigrants and “take corrective action.”

The measure also extends to states that use federal funding to support “sanctuary” policies or assist illegal immigration. 

It requires eligibility verification of citizenship to ensure benefits don’t go to people unlawfully present in the country.

“With this Executive Order, President Trump is ensuring taxpayer resources are used to protect the interests of American citizens, not illegal aliens,” the order states. 

A report from the House Homeland Security Committee estimated that taxpayer funds could pay as much as $451 billion to care for “illegal aliens and gotaways” that have entered the country since January 2021.

The term “gotaways” refers to individuals known by the federal government to have entered the country illegally but could not be contacted by law enforcement. U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by The Center Square estimates that 14 million “gotaways” entered the country during the Biden administration.

The Trump administration officially designated six drug cartels and two gangs as “foreign terrorist organizations,” or FTOs, on Wednesday. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the designation in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary, fulfilling a campaign promise by Trump.

Wednesday’s immigration funding order comes a day after the president cut funding for lawyers working with unaccompanied immigrant children.

According to Reuters, Trump signed the order on a flight from Florida to Washington, D.C.