Trump Administration Bars Undocumented Families from Head Start Child Care
Introduction to the Policy Change
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday that undocumented immigrants will no longer be allowed to attend Head Start, the federal program that provides child care, nutrition and health assistance to 800,000 low-income infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Impact on Federally Funded Public Programs
The announcement immediately bars all people living in the country without legal status from a suite of federally funded public programs, including health clinics, family planning and the low-income energy assistance program. While those living in the country illegally are prohibited from using most federal programs, a 1998 notice allowed them to access certain benefits relied on by low-income families with young children. In a news release, however, Kennedy announced that Health and Human Services was rescinding this interpretation, limiting the ability of low-income immigrant families to use more than a dozen federal programs run by the agency.
Statement from Health and Human Services Secretary
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” Kennedy said. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”
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History of Head Start and Immigration Status
Head Start has never required documentation of immigration status as a condition for enrollment over the last 60 years of the program, according to a statement from the National Head Start Assn. “Attempts to impose such a requirement threaten to create fear and confusion among all families who are focused on raising healthy children, ready to succeed in school and life,” said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Assn. “This decision undermines the fundamental commitment that the country has made to children and disregards decades of evidence that Head Start is essential to our collective future.”
Estimated Costs and Savings
Health and Human Services estimates that prohibiting undocumented immigrants from accessing Head Start would save $374 million annually, while costing $21 million in time spent by people trying to document and review eligibility, as well as transition costs for the program.
Response from Other Departments
The Education Department, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor also announced that those in the country illegally would be barred from programs run by the agencies, including career, technical, and adult education programs. “Today, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the Administration is taking the biggest step in more than 30 years to protect taxpayer-funded benefits for American citizens — NOT illegal aliens,” the White House said in a news release. “The move, which preserves roughly $40 billion in benefits for American citizens, overturns decades of bureaucratic defiance and builds on President Trump’s executive order directing an END to the subsidization of open borders.”
Industry Reaction
The announcement shook the Head Start industry, which has already been reeling this year from a series of layoffs, cuts and threats to terminate the program entirely. Head Start leaders said it was not clear how the directive will be carried out. The memo did not specify, for example, whether immigration status would be checked for the parents or the child, said Ed Condon, executive director of the Region 9 Head Start Assn., which represents four states, including California. “Family status takes us down one road and child status would take us down another. Most of the kids we serve are citizens,” Condon said. It was also unclear whether the change would apply to all Head Start centers, including those run by school districts. “Everybody is on hold. But this is not good news.”
Potential Consequences
Limiting access to the program could also deter parents without legal status from enrolling their citizen children in Head Start, said Ted Lempert, president of Children Now and a former California Assembly member. “We guarantee every kid an education in this country, regardless of status,” he said. “That shouldn’t be different in terms of early education, and certainly not when it comes to Head Start.” The federal action — which comes on the tail of additional cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food assistance in the just-approved Republican budget — will affect some of the most vulnerable young children in the nation, child-care experts said. “Lower-income families often avail themselves of multiple services,” including housing, energy and food assistance, said Donna Sneeringer, chief strategy officer for the Child Care Resource Center, which provides Head Start services to 2,500 children in Southern California. “They are doing everything they can to put the pieces together to care for their families.”
Public Comment Period
The notice announcing the change in policy will be published in the Federal Registry, at which point a 30-day public comment period will begin. Health and Human Services said the change is effective immediately because “any delay would be contrary to the public interest and fail to address the ongoing emergency at the Southern Border of the United States.”
Ongoing Lawsuit
In April, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit that challenges the Trump administration’s attacks on Head Start. The American Civil Liberties Union said in a news release that if the notice takes effect, the plaintiffs plan to amend their complaint to include the changes.
Conclusion
The Trump administration’s decision to bar undocumented families from Head Start child care has significant implications for low-income immigrant families and their access to essential services. The move is part of a broader effort to restrict access to federal programs for those without legal status, and it is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the most vulnerable members of society.
FAQs
Q: What is Head Start and who does it serve?
A: Head Start is a federal program that provides child care, nutrition, and health assistance to 800,000 low-income infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Q: What is the Trump administration’s new policy regarding Head Start and undocumented immigrants?
A: The Trump administration has announced that undocumented immigrants will no longer be allowed to attend Head Start, effective immediately.
Q: How will this policy change affect low-income immigrant families?
A: The policy change will limit access to essential services, including child care, nutrition, and health assistance, for low-income immigrant families.
Q: What is the estimated cost savings of prohibiting undocumented immigrants from accessing Head Start?
A: Health and Human Services estimates that prohibiting undocumented immigrants from accessing Head Start would save $374 million annually.
Q: How can the public provide feedback on this policy change?
A: The notice announcing the change in policy will be published in the Federal Registry, at which point a 30-day public comment period will begin.
