RFK Jr. Bans Undocumented Immigrant Access to Some Programs (1)

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is restricting undocumented immigrant access to Head Start and other federal programs that the Trump administration says are intended for American citizens.

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” Kennedy said in a Thursday statement announcing the action. “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The US Department of Health and Human Services’ rescinded a decades-old interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. That interpretation, the HHS said, “improperly extended certain federal public benefits to illegal aliens.”

Also impacted by the action are grants and programs for mental health services, substance use treatment, transitioning out of homelessness and family planning efforts.

The HHS issued a Federal Register notice giving the public 30 days to weigh in on its efforts.

Nevertheless, the HHS said in the notice that it’s “necessary to apply this interpretation to HHS programs immediately, prior to receipt and consideration of any comments.”

“Any delay would be contrary to the public interest and fail to address the ongoing emergency at the Southern Border of the United States,” the HHS said.

The HHS said President Donald Trump has already “issued numerous Presidential actions that reflect the will of the American people that aliens should not burden our public benefits system and that our public benefits system should not serve as a magnet for illegal immigration.”

Thursday’s effort isn’t the first foray into immigration issues by Trump’s HHS.

Previously, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it would ratchet up oversight to deter states from diverting federal dollars to immigrants otherwise ineligible for federally-subsidized coverage.

Also, the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement’s case file information about people who come forward and sponsor unaccompanied migrant children is being shared with the Department of Homeland Security. And California led a coalition of 20 states in a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from sharing personal Medicaid health data with DHS for immigration enforcement.