Trump Orders Agencies to Terminate All Federal Assistance for Illegal Immigrants

Migrants eat a meal at the La Colaborativa day shelter in Chelsea, Mass., on Feb. 22, 2024. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 19 directing all agencies to identify any federally funded programs that provide financial assistance to illegal immigrants and “take corrective actions” to ensure funds to states and localities “will not be used to support sanctuary policies or assist illegal immigration.”

The order also mandates improvements in eligibility verification to block federal assistance from reaching anyone present in the nation illegally.

Initially reported by Fox News, a White House official confirmed the order to The Epoch Times and provided a fact sheet stating it is Trump’s commitment to “safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”

“With this Executive Order, President Trump is ensuring taxpayer resources are used to protect the interests of American citizens, not illegal aliens,” the fact sheet states. It notes that illegal immigrants are “generally barred from welfare programs” but suggests that if some are granted parole and classified as “qualified aliens,” they may become eligible for various programs on a sliding scale.

It is the latest action in the president’s ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration since reentering the White House on Jan. 20. Trump has signed numerous executive orders related to immigration, including one reinterpreting the 14th Amendment’s Birthright Citizenship clause, another creating a “national border emergency,” and others targeting “sanctuary” cities and jurisdictions.

Trump also ordered the continuing construction of a wall at the southern border, ended most asylum programs, reinstituted his previous “Remain in Mexico” policy, and ended the CBP One app, which migrants used to schedule asylum hearings ahead of entering the United States.

Trump recently signed an executive order calling for detaining criminal illegal immigrants at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba and began crackdowns in major cities with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants has faced numerous legal challenges. On Feb. 18, a federal judge denied the Trump administration’s motion for a partial stay on a previous preliminary injunction blocking the executive order from going into effect.

Trump also ended the Biden administration’s policies known as “catch and release,” which allowed many illegal immigrants to enter the United States and live for potentially years while they wait for their immigration court hearings. The president’s border czar, Tom Homan, said that daily border encounters have declined to fewer than 300, compared to more than 11,000 during their peak under the previous administration.

Aldgra Fredly contributed to this report.