DOJ Threatens States' $76 Billion Welfare Funds Over Migrant Reporting
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 3
DOJ Threatens States' $76 Billion Welfare Funds Over Migrant Reporting
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 3
Summary
A new DOJ legal opinion says states risk losing federal welfare money unless all state agencies report people known to be in the U.S. unlawfully to DHS.
The order reverses a 1998 interpretation that limited reporting duties to agencies directly administering the programs, expanding the mandate to offices such as colleges and motor-vehicle departments.
$16.5 billion in TANF grants and more than $60 billion in Supplemental Security Income benefits are tied to the requirement, which applies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
The move fits President Donald Trump's broader push to force state cooperation on immigration enforcement, but Democrat-led states have already challenged related DHS data-collection efforts and new lawsuits are likely.