President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday evening titled “Preserving Federal Benefits for American Citizens” to end the taxpayer-funded programs for illegal immigrants.
“My Administration will uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” Trump said in the order.
The order directs the heads of each executive department and agency to “identify all federally funded programs administered by the agency that currently permit illegal aliens to obtain any cash or non-cash public benefit, and, consistent with applicable law, take all appropriate actions to align such programs with the purposes of this order and the requirements of applicable Federal law” and “ensure, consistent with applicable law, that Federal payments to States and localities do not, by design or effect, facilitate the subsidization or promotion of illegal immigration, or abet so-called ‘sanctuary’ policies that seek to shield illegal aliens from deportation.”
The order further directs department heads to “enhance eligibility verification systems, to the maximum extent possible, to ensure that taxpayer-funded benefits exclude any ineligible alien who entered the United States illegally or is otherwise unlawfully present in the United States.”
A White House fact sheet for the order notes that welfare for one million illegal immigrants could cost taxpayers as much as $3 billion annually, citing data from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS).
At least $182 billion in taxpayer dollars is spent annually to cover 20 million illegal immigrants and their children, the fact sheet said.
