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The White House said the order seeks to end “all taxpayer-funded
benefits for illegal aliens,” but it was not clear which
benefits will be targeted. People in the country illegally
generally do not qualify except for emergency medical care.
Children are entitled to a free K-12 public education regardless
of immigration status under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling.
The order notes that a 1996 welfare overhaul denies most public
benefits to people in the country illegally but says that law
has been gradually undermined. “Over the last 4 years, in
particular, the prior administration repeatedly undercut the
goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of
significant taxpayer resources.”
Trump's words appear directed at former President Joe Biden's
extensive use of parole authority to allow people in the country
temporarily, including more than 900,000 through an online
appointment app called CBP One used at border crossings with
Mexico and more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and
Venezuelans who flew to the U.S. at their own expense with a
financial sponsor. Trump immediately ended both programs.
Biden also granted parole to nearly 300,000 people from Ukraine
and Afghanistan.
People granted parole for at least a year are considered
“qualified non-citizens,” making them eligible for some
income-based benefits, but only after five years. They include
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which
provides coverage to children in families that earn too much
money to qualify for Medicaid, according to the U.S. Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Some states have shortened the five-year wait.
Trump's order appears to have other targets, some already
subjects of earlier edicts and Justice Department lawsuits. It
directs all departments and agencies to identify federal benefit
spending that is inconsistent with the 1996 welfare law. It also
seeks to ensure that state and local governments are not using
federal funds for policies that support “sanctuary” policies or
encourage illegal immigration.
Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration on his first day
in office. They included ending automatic citizenship for people
born in the United States and asylum at the southern border. The
birthright citizenship order has been temporarily halted in
court.
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