A court in Rhode Island issued a temporary injunction to suspend US President Donald Trump’s directives that would deny immigrants who entered the country illegally access to food banks, the Head Start program, and dozens of other programs providing food, healthcare, and educational services for children in need.
The injunction came after the Attorney General of California, along with twenty other state officials, filed a lawsuit seeking to suspend President Trump’s directives that would deny undocumented immigrants access to dozens of federally funded welfare programs. According to the ruling, Trump’s directives will be suspended until the lawsuits are resolved.
The California Attorney General welcomed the court’s decision, saying, “With today’s ruling, vital education, nutrition, and health programs, such as Head Start, as well as the families who rely on them, can breathe a sigh of relief.” He noted that Trump’s policies are making life harder for California families trying to get by, adding, “We are grateful to the District Court for halting this harsh new directive while our legal proceedings continue.”
The state officials involved in the lawsuit also spoke of the severe and irreparable harm that threatens vulnerable families due to Trump’s directives. Trump’s program negatively impacts all recipients of federally funded welfare programs, regardless of their legal status. According to the lawsuit, the requirements for implementing Trump’s immigration verification directives will cost state economies millions of dollars.
Remarkably, Trump issued directives mandating that federally funded social programs verify the legal status of immigrant beneficiaries. These directives would effectively cut off numerous immigrant families from welfare programs. Trump’s directives also affect the Head Start program, which provides healthcare to nearly one million children from low-income families.
This comes within the context of Trump’s adoption of a far-right immigration policy that includes the arrest, detention, and deportation of undocumented immigrants—a policy opposed by many state leaders who are engaged in ongoing legal battles against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
