On February 19, 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order directing all federal agencies to identify programs that allow people without status to access any federally funded public programs and to take action to deny access to those services. This action targets not only federally funded public benefit programs that flow directly to individuals but also federal funds provided to service providers, such as health institutions. People without status qualify for very few federal public benefits, and access to these limited benefits has been authorized by federal law. The executive order is yet another attack meant to confuse immigrant communities and continue the narrative that immigrants are straining the U.S. social safety net.

The executive order states that it aims to defend the laws put in place by the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PROWRA), a law that reformed welfare by imposing work requirements, limiting benefits, and restricting federal assistance for many non-citizens. Immigrants with irregular status are already restricted from accessing most federal programs, including non-emergency Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and housing assistance. PROWRA also created two categories of immigrants for benefits eligibility purposes: “qualified” and “not qualified.” The law excluded many people in both groups from eligibility for many benefits, with a few exceptions. The “qualified” immigrant category includes:

• lawful permanent residents, or LPRs (people with green cards) who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years
• refugees, people granted asylum or withholding of deportation/removal, and conditional entrants
• people granted parole by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a period of at least one year
• Cuban and Haitian entrants
• certain abused immigrants, their children, and/or their parents
• certain survivors of trafficking
• individuals residing in the U.S. pursuant to a Compact of Free Association (COFA)

All other immigrants, including those without status, are considered "not qualified", including those with temporary protection like DACA and TPS.

What's in the executive order?

Identification and Correction: Federal agencies are instructed to identify and report programs that allow undocumented immigrants to receive benefits and take corrective actions to align these programs with federal law within 30 days. 

Funding Restrictions: The order seeks to ensure that federal funds provided to states and localities do not support "sanctuary" policies or otherwise facilitate irregular migration. 

Enhanced Verification: Agencies are mandated to enhance eligibility verification systems (such as those used by states to determine if an applicant is eligible for Medicaid or SNAP) to prevent ineligible individuals from accessing taxpayer-funded benefits.

How can I protect the community from the chilling effects of this order?

• Share messages with your community letting them know that this executive order does not change anything and they should continue to use programs they or their children are eligible to receive. 
• To the extent possible, make available resources to allow eligible community members to apply for and participate in programs for which they are eligible.
• Educate elected officials as to the deleterious effects of fear-mongering tactics such as this order, and of plans to close numerous governmental agencies and cut programs that benefit broad sections of the public. (See also Talking Points below.)

Talking Points

• This executive order does nothing to change the already restrictive access to publicly funded programs and is meant to continue spreading misinformation and fear.
• Cutting federal funding will hurt all who use these programs and create a severe chilling effect, especially for U.S. citizen children living in a mixed-status family.
• The truth is that immigrants—regardless of status—are significant contributors to the U.S. economy and social safety net.
• As Trump continues to gut federal agencies providing critical public programs and resources, they are finding ways to distract the public by continuing to blame immigrants for problems they don't want to solve.
• This order further threatens federal funding that states and localities receive for essential services that benefit all residents, regardless of their immigration status.
• Despite being barred from most federal programs, immigrants without regular status contribute an estimated $96.7 billion annually in U.S. taxes and pay into Social Security and Medicare without ever being able to claim benefits. 
• As the U.S. oligarchy continues to blame and take from the most vulnerable, we must call out these lies and show that it is greedy corporations and billionaires like Donald Trump and Elon Musk who are straining public resources and dismantling our care systems.
• Social safety net programs are public rights that all people should have access to. The role of government is to ensure all its constituents have access to opportunities and resources that ensure their well-being. 
• The administration should focus on strengthening social programs and care systems to promote health, well-being, and prosperity for all.

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