Trump administration faces lawsuit for blocking health benefits for immigrants

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit a lawsuit against the Trump administration for repealing the decades-old policy that provided federal health and social benefits to legal and undocumented immigrants.

According to the report, migrant rights advocates have taken legal action to challenge the latest directive from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which reinterprets a 1996 policy, known as PRWORA, that allows undocumented immigrants access to certain federal health benefits.

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The directive uniformly prohibits eligibility for benefits for immigrants, including permanent resident card holders, refugees, and minors.

Specifically, non-citizen immigrants are not eligible for the U.S. public health program known as Medicaid (non-emergency), the SNAP nutrition assistance program, Affordable Care Act subsidies, or other programs.

Undocumented immigrants are also prohibited from accessing many state and local benefits such as Head Start, which benefits children under five.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a press release that the new approach “restores the integrity of federal social programs, strengthens the rule of law, and protects vital resources” for Americans.

Kennedy Jr. asserted that "for too long" the government has diverted American taxpayer money to "incentivize illegal immigration."

The Trump administration's new policy emphasizes that individuals are subject to eligibility restrictions.

In response, immigrant advocacy groups and health care providers have sought to challenge the directive issued last Monday in federal court in Washington state.

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Ming-Qi Chu, deputy director of the ACLU's Women's Rights Project, said in a statement that Excluding immigrant children "is illegal and a direct attack" on some of the very families this program is intended for.

"It is clearly inconsistent with the text of the law and the purpose of Congress," the lawyer stressed.

Staff cuts, delays, and the government's immigration directive threaten vital health, social, and early education services that more than 800,000 children and families rely on each year , the lawsuit says.

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