OAN Staff James Meyers
7:42 AM – Thursday, February 20, 2025
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday night that stops illegal immigrants from receiving federally funded benefits.
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“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,” read the text of Trump’s order.
In his announcement, the 47th president cited that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits, but he claimed that the law has been undermined over the years since its establishment.
“Numerous administrations have acted to undermine the principles and limitations directed by the Congress.”
Additionally, Trump went after the Biden administration, saying that it “repeatedly undercut the goals of that law, resulting in the improper expenditure of significant taxpayer resources.”
The president said that “taxpayer resources” have acted as a “magnet” for migrants, “fueling illegal immigration to the United States.”
The new order will now cause the head of every federal 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 “take all appropriate actions to align such programs” with PRWORA and other federal laws.
Furthermore, the 47th president ordered government officials to “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 calls on agencies to refer any illegal benefits going to migrants to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for “appropriate action.”
Trump signed another executive order on Wednesday, instructing the leaders of every agency to review all regulations, while working with members of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The commander-in-chief has applauded Elon Musk and his DOGE department for helping him implement his executive orders, saying they would’ve been ignored by federal workers without his team in place.
On his first day in office, Trump signed 10 executive orders on immigration. Some included ending automatic citizenship for people born in the U.S. and asylum at the southern border.
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