The Trump administration on Thursday announced sweeping new measures aimed at restricting undocumented immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded education and health care programs, according to The New York Post. The move, officials claim, could save approximately $40 billion.Multiple federal departments, including Education, Agriculture, Labor, Justice, and Health and Human Services (HHS)- issued separate statements underscoring the policy shift. The Department of Health and Human Services described the change as a “significant policy shift” designed to ensure that public benefit programs are reserved for US citizens and legal residents.“Taxpayer-funded program benefits intended for the American people should not be diverted to subsidize illegal aliens,” the HHS statement noted.White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Donald Trump is preparing to launch the largest-ever “mass deportation operation,” fulfilling a key campaign promise.“President Trump is fulfilling his promise to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in history. There will be no amnesty, only deportations of violent, criminal illegal aliens that Joe Biden welcomed into the country,” said Jackson as quoted by Axios.Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the administration would block undocumented immigrants from accessing federally supported education programs.“Hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens participating in our career, technical, or adult education programs,” she said. “These funds will be reserved for citizens and those who have entered legally and meet federal eligibility criteria.”Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that states would also be expected to prevent undocumented migrants from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.“For too long, the generosity of the American taxpayer has been abused by faulty interpretations of the 1996 welfare reform law,” Rollins said, referencing the Clinton-era Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA).The administration has moved to reinterpret PRWORA, tightening the definition of “federal public benefits.” Under the new interpretation, several HHS programs—including Head Start, the early childhood education initiative—now fall under the restricted category.Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary at HHS, said the change “puts American families first by ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits are reserved for eligible individuals.”In a cabinet meeting earlier this week, Trump reiterated his hardline stance: “There will be no amnesty. What we’re doing is getting rid of criminals. But we are doing a work program,” he said, suggesting some undocumented workers could remain if their employers assume responsibility for them.In line with the broader crackdown, the administration has also opened a new migrant detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” located in the swamps of Florida.
