President Donald Trump has issued an executive order aimed at eliminating “all taxpayer-funded benefits” for undocumented immigrants.
On February 19, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ending taxpayer subsidization of open borders,” which targets benefits allocated to “illegal aliens.”
The order states: “The plain text of Federal law, including the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) (PRWORA), generally prohibits illegal aliens from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.
“Title IV of the PRWORA states that it is national policy that ‘aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs,’ and that ‘[i]t is a compelling government interest to remove the incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of public benefits.’ However, in the years following the enactment of the PRWORA, numerous administrations have taken actions that have undermined the objectives and restrictions established by Congress through that law.”
The order accuses the Administration of former President Joe Biden of consistently undermining the objectives of that law, leading to the improper use of substantial taxpayer resources.
Trump’s Administration commits to “upholding the rule of law, preventing the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protecting benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”
Currently, under “welfare laws,” undocumented immigrants are “generally barred from welfare programs.” However, if they receive parole, they are categorized as “qualified aliens” and gradually become eligible for various welfare programs, with full eligibility granted after five years.
The executive order directs federal agencies to “identify all federally funded programs administered by the agency that currently permit illegal aliens to obtain any cash or non-cash public benefit.” It also instructs them to align these programs with the purposes of the order and comply with applicable Federal law, including the PRWORA.
The order further argues that federal funds should not “facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration” or support “sanctuary” policies that protect illegal aliens from deportation.
The order mandates that within 30 days, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service, in collaboration with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, will identify all other sources of Federal funding for illegal aliens.
According to the White House’s “fact sheet” on Trump’s move to end “taxpayer subsidization of open borders,” authorities are then expected to take “corrective action” to ensure that “Federal funds to states and localities will not be used to support ‘sanctuary’ policies or assist illegal immigration.”
The order concludes: “It mandates improvements in eligibility verification to prevent benefits from going to individuals unlawfully present in the United States.
“President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”