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The Trump administration announced Thursday that immigrants living in the country illegally will no longer be eligible for Head Start and other federally funded programs, marking a significant policy shift on public benefit access.
The Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture and Labor notified their partners of the change, clarifying the administration’s interpretation of what constitutes a “federal public benefit,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
Under new guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services, illegal immigrants will be barred from enrolling their children in the Head Start early childhood education program. The revised policy also restricts access to services such as homeless assistance, Title X family planning programs, mental health services and substance abuse treatment.
“Alongside HHS, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is committed to providing and protecting resources that serve America’s most vulnerable,” said acting Assistant Secretary Andrew Gradison. “Head Start’s classification under the new PRWORA interpretation puts American families first by ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are reserved for eligible individuals.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the move rescinds what he described as a misinterpretation of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which he said had “improperly extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens.”
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” said Kennedy 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.”
Though undocumented immigrants are already ineligible for most federal benefits, many of the affected programs had not previously required applicants to disclose immigration status. Instead, eligibility was often determined by income or other criteria.
The Department of Agriculture pointed to earlier guidance issued in April that aimed to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The department reaffirmed its position that individuals without legal status “should not receive government dollars.”
President Donald Trump had directed agencies to identify and restrict federal programs accessible to illegal immigrants shortly after taking office. As part of negotiations over the “Big Beautiful Bill” signed on July 4, the White House pledged additional executive actions focused on illegal immigration.