The US Department of Health, under the Trump administration, has just broadened restrictions on immigrants accessing federal public benefits. The new policy adds 13 more programs, including Head Start, Title X family planning, and substance use recovery grants, to the existing list, bumping the total to 44.
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it’s about ending incentives for illegal immigration, though the move affects many legal immigrants, too. These changes tighten a 1998 policy that had excluded some programs from the restrictions.
Now, even temporary visa holders and lawful permanent residents may face more restrictions. The rule takes effect after it’s published and is open to public comment for 30 days.