Broader Illegal immigraton Crackdown

Trump Admin Tightens Benefit Rules

Bans Illegal Immigrants From Federal Programs

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a sweeping policy change Thursday that bars illegal immigrants from accessing several federal programs, including Head Start, community health centers, mental health and substance use treatment services, and the Title X family planning program.

Kennedy’s decision stemmed from a February executive order by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to tighten restrictions on illegal immigrants’ access to taxpayer-funded services. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) argues that previous administrations, particularly the Clinton administration, unlawfully permitted exceptions to the 1996 welfare reform law.

While illegal immigrants were already barred from most federal benefits, this policy expands the list of programs classified as federal benefits, now totaling 44 programs, up from 31. The policy is effective immediately, with a 30-day period for public comment.

Kennedy said he was rescinding a decades-old interpretation of a 1996 law known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act that had “improperly extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens.”

The move is the latest in a series of steps that furthers Trump’s goal of cracking down on illegal immigration, a key promise of his campaign. Democrats are already screaming.

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