The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Thursday it is rescinding a 1998 interpretation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), effectively ending federal benefit access for undocumented immigrants in several programs.
The 1998 guidance had allowed exemptions that gave immigrants without legal status access to services such as Head Start, community health centers, and public health programs. In fiscal year 2022, Head Start alone served over 833,000 children and pregnant women.
The new interpretation aligns more strictly with the original 1996 PRWORA statute, which limited benefit eligibility for undocumented immigrants and certain legal immigrants in their early years in the United States.
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose agency oversees the change. He said the action protects “vital resources for the American people.”
The updated policy will apply to programs including Head Start, health center funding, workforce initiatives, and substance use programs. It becomes effective immediately upon publication in the Federal Register, with a 30-day public comment period to follow.
Sources:
The Hill – MBFC Rating
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