California, along with 19 other states and the District of Columbia, has filed yet another lawsuit against the Trump administration, for a recent rule barring illegal immigrants from certain federally funded public benefit programs.
The suit, filed on Monday, claimed the new rule was "cruel," and signaled an abrupt reversal of almost three decades of policy. Since 1997, states have been allowed to extend their programs to illegal immigrants and their families, and reversing the law revokes "essential" benefits, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
This latest salvo in the President’s inhumane anti-immigration campaign primarily goes after working moms and their young children. We’re not talking about waste, fraud, and abuse, we’re talking about programs that deliver essential childcare, healthcare, nutrition, and education assistance, programs that have for decades been open to all.
His office also stated that “requiring programs to expend resources to implement systems and train staff to verify citizenship or immigration status will impose a time and resource burden on programs already struggling to operate on narrow financial margins.”
The lawsuit contends that due to a lack of advanced notice, the reversal of policy will result in states losing hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
According to the Los Angeles Times, one of the programs facing restrictions includes Head Start, which provides almost a million infants in low-income households with childcare, nutrition, and health assistance.
A White House spokeswoman said in a statement on Monday that President Trump “was elected based on his promise to put Americans first and that’s exactly what this administration is committed to doing.”
"Many of our fellow Americans rely on assistance from the government and federally funded resources to get back on their feet. When illegal aliens exploit these resources it is at the expense of Americans in desperate need of them,” she continued.
President Trump has cited the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 as providing clear restrictions against non-citizens receiving federal benefits. Previous administrations have provided more leeway with programs specifically deemed as “life or safety” programs. Multiple federal agencies issued notices earlier this month, signaling changes to a decades-long precedent.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that "For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration. 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."
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said that “Under President Trump’s leadership, hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens to participate in our career, technical, or adult education programs or activities.”
And the Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said that "By ensuring these programs serve their intended purpose, we’re protecting good-paying jobs for American workers and reaffirming this Administration’s commitment to securing our borders and ending illegal immigration.”
The case now heads to federal court, where the administration is expected to defend the policy as a long-overdue correction to years of lax enforcement and argue that taxpayer-funded programs should serve American citizens first.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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