President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order to halt the subsidization of illegal immigration with American tax dollars.
“The Order directs Federal departments and agencies to identify all federally funded programs currently providing financial benefits to illegal aliens and take corrective action,” per a White House fact sheet published on February 19.
The order will purportedly stop states and localities from using Federal funds to support “sanctuary” policies or assist illegal immigration while also mandating improvements in verification to prevent public services from going to illegal aliens.
“President Trump is committed to safeguarding Federal public benefits for American citizens who are truly in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans,” the fact sheet continues.
The document contains bullet points explaining how illegal aliens under current welfare laws have been able to qualify for social services under certain conditions, such as immigration “parole.” The document cited figures from the Center For Immigration Studies that said, “[P]roviding welfare to one million illegal aliens could cost American taxpayers an additional $3 billion annually.”
The fact sheet concluded by revisiting a series of immigration actions the President has taken in his first month in office, including declaring a national emergency at the southern border and ending the use of the CBP One app.
Word of the action was leaked to Fox News’ Bill Melugin, and the story went viral when he posted to X, in part, “SCOOP: Per WH official on background, later tonight, President Trump will sign an executive order designed to terminate any & all federal taxpayer benefits going to illegal aliens.”
The White House quickly confirmed the story. “Can confirm! No more federal benefits to illegal aliens,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X.
Can confirm! No more federal benefits to illegal aliens. https://t.co/xX4PNkfmM9
— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) February 19, 2025
Some commenters were elated.
“We are the Party of Common Sense,” Gunther Eagleman posted on X.
“Removing this ‘draw factor’ will further disincentivize illegal aliens — economic migrants, really — to come to the US. We also need to go after the NGOs who have facilitated the illegal transport and entry of illegal aliens into the US,” an account titled The Culture Warrior responded.
Not everyone, however, agreed with Trump’s assessment of illegal alien’s welfare consumption. Several think tanks have conducted research that rebuttals the President’s Executive Order.
The libertarian think tank CATO Institute wrote on its blog, “The biggest myth in the debate over immigrant welfare use is that noncitizens — which includes illegal immigrants and those lawfully present on various temporary visas and green cards — disproportionately consume welfare. That is not the case. Noncitizen immigrants consumed 54 percent less welfare than native-born Americans.”
The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank, published similar findings. A 2024 report found that “Undocumented immigrants paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes, $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, and $1.8 billion in unemployment insurance taxes in 2022.” These are programs that undocumented workers cannot access, even though they contribute to them through payroll deductions.