Latest news with #publicbenefits
Al Arabiya
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Lawsuit challenges restrictions on Head Start for kids in the US illegally
WASHINGTON (AP) – A coalition of 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administrations' restrictions on social services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics, and adult education. Individual public benefits, such as food stamps and college financial aid, have been largely unavailable to people in the country without legal status, but the new rules and guidance from the administration curbed their access to community-level programs that receive federal money. The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, argues the government failed to follow the rulemaking process and did not provide required notice on conditions placed on federal funds. It also argues the changes will create significant harm. 'These programs work because they are open, accessible, and grounded in compassion,' James said in a statement. 'This is a baseless attack on some of our country's most effective and inclusive public programs, and we will not let it stand.' The rule changes rescinded a Clinton-era interpretation of federal laws on immigrants' access to services. The restrictions were announced jointly earlier this month by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Education Department, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Justice. 'Implementing immigration documentation checks would place a significant burden on programs and in some cases would be unrealistic,' the lawsuit said. The extra work would likely affect services provided by these programs to US citizens who are often from low-income backgrounds and depend on the services for health and education, the lawsuit said. Head Start, a federal preschool program that provides developmental therapy, child care, and preschool to families who are homeless or in poverty, has not asked participants to verify their immigration status in the past. Some Head Start providers said they do not have the staff or resources to begin implementing such screening. 'It is likely that for some programs, the costs of compliance will be so high as to lead to the programs' closure,' the lawsuit said. 'Many Head Start programs are small entities that operate on razor-thin margins and are likely to close if facing a significant administrative burden.' Other community-level programs affected by the rule change include mental health services in schools, crisis hotlines, and substance use disorder treatment. ___ The Associated Press education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at
Associated Press
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Lawsuit challenges restrictions on Head Start for kids in the US illegally
WASHINGTON (AP) — A coalition of 21 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration's restrictions on social services for immigrants in the country illegally, including the federal preschool program Head Start, health clinics and adult education. Individual public benefits, such as food stamps and college financial aid, have been largely unavailable to people in the country without legal status, but the new rules and guidance from the administration curbed their access to community-level programs that receive federal money. The lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James argues the government failed to follow the rulemaking process and did not provide required notice on conditions placed on federal funds. It also argues the changes will create significant harm. 'These programs work because they are open, accessible, and grounded in compassion,' James said in a statement. 'This is a baseless attack on some of our country's most effective and inclusive public programs, and we will not let it stand.' The rule changes rescinded a Clinton-era interpretation of federal laws on immigrants ' access to services. The restrictions were announced jointly earlier this month by the Department of Health and Human Services, the Education Department, the Department of Labor and the Department of Justice. Implementing immigration documentation checks would place a significant burden on programs and in some cases would be unrealistic, the lawsuit said. The extra work would likely affect services provided by these programs to U.S. citizens, who are often from low-income backgrounds and depend on the services for health and education, the lawsuit said. Head Start, a federal preschool program that provides developmental therapy, child care and preschool to families who are homeless or in poverty, has not asked participants to verify their immigration status in the past. Some Head Start providers said they do not have the staff or resources to begin implementing such screening. 'It is likely that for some programs, the costs of compliance will be so high as to lead to the programs' closure,' the lawsuit said. 'Many Head Start programs are small entities that operate on razor-thin margins and are likely to close if facing a significant administrative burden.' Other community-level programs affected by the rule change include mental health services in schools, crisis hotlines and substance use disorder treatment. ___ The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Reuters
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US health department widens immigrant benefit restrictions
WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - The Trump administration is widening its interpretation of a law banning most immigrants living in the United States from receiving federal public benefits to include 13 new categories of programs including Head Start preschool programs for low-income children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Thursday it was rescinding an almost three-decade-old policy that identified 31 programs as "federal public benefits" and interpreting the term more loosely to include more programs, bringing the total to 44. "For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The move is part of President Donald Trump's wide immigration crackdown. The administration says its policies target immigrants living in the country illegally but has implemented several affecting permanent residents and others present legally. By law, most immigrants already do not qualify for programs designated "federal public benefits" like Medicaid and Social Security. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 defined legal permanent residents, people granted asylum, and other categories of immigrants as "qualified" and barred them from major benefits programs for five years. It defined all other immigrants including those living in the country illegally as well as those on temporary visas like students or foreign workers, as "not qualified" and banned them from enrolling in most programs altogether. The law did not define what programs count as "federal public benefits" and therefore included in the restrictions; however, leaving it to federal agencies administering benefits to determine. HHS issued a notice interpreting the law in 1998 which listed 31 programs including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Child Care and Development Fund, and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The department said on Thursday that interpretation improperly extended some benefits to immigrants living in the country illegally. The new policy, which takes effect as soon as it is published in the Federal Register but is subject to a 30-day public comment period, adds 13 more categories of programs. Aside from Head Start, those include various grants or programs for substance use recovery and prevention, the Title X Family Planning Program, health workforce programs, and projects for helping people transition from homelessness. HHS said the new list was not exhaustive and that it would issue further guidance for the affected programs.
Al Jazeera
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
US widens public benefit restrictions for undocumented immigrants
United States officials are cutting down further on undocumented immigrants' access to healthcare programmes and benefits as part of President Donald Trump's widening immigration crackdown. On Thursday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it was broadening its interpretation of a 1996 law that prohibits most immigrants from receiving federal public benefits. The decision means that undocumented immigrants will no longer be eligible for an additional 13 programmes. They include Head Start, a pre-school educational programme, and projects that address family planning, mental health, substance abuse and efforts to reduce homelessness. 'For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivise illegal immigration,' HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said on Thursday. 'Today's action changes that – it restores integrity to federal social programmes, enforces the rule of law and protects vital resources for the American people.' Critics fear the added restrictions will further marginalise a vulnerable group of immigrants who often have scarce resources, exacerbating public health crises in the US. The new restrictions relate to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. That law — passed under Democratic President Bill Clinton — barred those living in the country without valid immigration documents and those on temporary visas, like students or foreign workers, from receiving major benefits from the federal government. However, the scope of the restrictions was not spelled out, as the law did not define what counted as 'federal public benefits'. To make things clearer, the HHS issued a legal interpretation in 1998, which prevented access to 31 programmes. Medicaid — an insurance programme for low-income households — and Social Security were among them, as was the Children's Health Insurance Program. In a statement released on Thursday, the HHS claimed 'the 1998 policy improperly narrowed the scope of PRWORA', allowing undocumented immigrants to access programmes which 'Congress intended only for the American people'. With Thursday's additions, the total number of restricted programmes rises to 44. The HHS's new policy, which is subject to a 30-day public comment period, will take effect when it is published in the Federal Register. Since starting his second presidential term in January, Donald Trump has made it a priority to tackle undocumented immigration. Critics have accused his administration of violating human rights and the US Constitution, as well as exceeding his presidential authority. As part of Trump's campaign of mass deportation, for example, the president invoked a controversial wartime legislation to deport hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador in March. Opponents argue that Trump falsely declared undocumented immigration to be an 'invasion' in order to justify denying the immigrants their right to due process.
Fox News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump administration bans illegal immigrants from taxpayer-funded services, including Head Start
The Trump administration announced Thursday that the Department of Health and Human Services will ban illegal immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded services, including the popular Head Start early childhood education program. The agency announced that it will rescind the 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), which extended certain federal public benefits to those living in the United States illegally. "For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans' tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration," said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. "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 PRWORA, known as welfare reform, passed during the Clinton administration and granted states greater autonomy to manage social welfare programs. The new policy applies PRWORA's plain-language definition of a "federal public benefit," affirms that programs serving individuals, households or families are subject to eligibility restrictions and clarifies that no HHS programs have been formally exempted under PRWORA's limited exceptions, HHS said. Among the programs no longer accessible to illegal immigrants will be Head Start, an early childhood education and nutrition program for low-income families. An HHS preliminary analysis estimates American citizens could receive as much as $374 million in additional Head Start services annually. "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." Other services now classified under the "federal public benefit" category include grant programs for workforce programs, mental health and substance abuse, among others. The new policy takes effect upon publication in the Federal Register and has a 30-day comment period.
