Hundreds of groups push back on Trump denying lawful immigrants access to Head Start, other programs [View all]

Source: NBC News

Aug. 13, 2025, 5:03 PM EDT


The Trump administration’s expanded ban on immigrants’ access to social services, such as Head Start and Meals on Wheels, could have a “devastating” impact on children of immigrants, including U.S. citizens, hundreds of opponents told the federal government Wednesday.

A total of 372 organizations have coalesced to oppose the administration’s decision to make more federally funded health and human service programs off-limits to immigrants with some form of permission to be in the country.

The groups say the administration wrongly promotes the expanded restrictions as part of its efforts to target illegal immigration. The policy actually “directly targets lawfully present immigrants” by turning early learning centers, community health centers and mental health and addiction treatment programs “into immigration checkpoints” where providers would have to check a person’s immigration status, according to the groups.

“Undocumented immigrants already are not eligible for most federally funded programs. This is another case where the administration is lying to the public,” said Adriana Cadena, director of the Protecting Immigration Families coalition, which led the organizations’ opposition to restrictions to be implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
As a result, the restrictions will harm millions, the groups stated in official comments filed in response to the administration's expanded restrictions, published in the Federal Register July 14.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/hundreds-groups-push-back-trump-denying-lawful-immigrants-access-head-rcna224806