EXCLUSIVE: Trump Admin Threatens States Refusing To Report Illegal Immigrants Receiving Welfare

The Trump administration says states accepting federal welfare funds must require every state agency, not only welfare offices, to report illegal immigrants benefiting from welfare programs or risk losing program funding, The Daily Wire has learned.

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The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel reached that conclusion in a new opinion obtained by The Daily Wire on Wednesday. States that refuse to share the information with federal officials will risk losing federal dollars, according to the Justice Department.

The opinion applies to all states participating in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. All 50 states, Washington, D.C., and several American territories participate in the welfare programs.

“Congress wrote this requirement plainly,” T. Elliot Gaiser, Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, said in a statement. “When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States. Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our borders.”

With its latest opinion, the Justice Department withdrew a 1998 opinion that held only state agencies administering the welfare benefits were required to provide information on illegal immigrants to federal immigration authorities.

“Our clarification does not impose new obligations on states,” Joshua Craddock, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel and author of the opinion, said.

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“It simply restores the original meaning of the statute Congress enacted and ensures that DHS receives the information it is legally entitled to. States that accept TANF funding must abide by federal law, and failure to comply may lead to serious consequences, including loss of program funding,” Craddock said.

The latest action comes as the Trump administration continues its ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants exploiting the welfare system.

Last week, the Trump administration paused all visa appointments worldwide to train consular staff to better evaluate whether applicants are likely to become dependent on the American welfare system, the Washington Post reported.

“A more prosperous America means ensuring that visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge, as defined under U.S. law and regulation, and not likely to become dependent on U.S. public benefits reserved for qualified Americans in need,” the State Department said in a recent statement.

The goal of the training is to ensure consular officers “are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently,” the department said. The pause does not appear to affect visas for tourists, foreign workers, or students, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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