Education
Advocates Denounce Plan to Ban Undocumented Children From Head Start: ‘Where is the Compassion?’
Undocumented children may soon be unable to access the federally funded preschool program known as Head Start.
President Donald Trump’s administration is looking to block the children from the program as part of its ongoing efforts to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants without legal status.
Officials said the change is a way to “protect benefits for Americans.” But advocates warn the shift could have dire consequences that go beyond the undocumented community.
“We believe this will have a chilling effect across our community, regardless if you are an undocumented citizen or not, you still are anxious about this,” said Lauri Morrison-Frichtl, executive director of the Illinois Head Start Association. “We believe families will be unsure and maybe not send their children to school because of the threat of having Head Start report them.”
Head Start federal data for fiscal year 2022-2023 shows the program provided preschool for more than 544,000 children from low-income families.
The changes are part of a multi-agency announcement rescinding an interpretation of federal law dating to former President Bill Clinton’s administration, which had allowed immigrants in the country illegally to access some programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will reclassify those programs as federal public benefits, excluding immigrants in the country illegally from accessing them. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the changes were part of a larger effort to protect American citizens’ interests.
“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”
A spokesperson for the Administration for Children and Families, which administers Head Start, said that eligibility will be determined based on the child’s immigration status. However, the Trump administration has yet to provide guidance on this new process.
“We don’t know,” Morrison-Frichtl said. “We’re assuming they’re asking for the child’s status, but we’re not certain if they are going to reach over and ask for the family status in addition. And the way that rule was posted in the Federal Register brings more questions than what the rule answers.”
Head Start officials also say it is unclear whether these new limitations will apply only to programs that are part of school districts or to nonprofits and day cares as well.
“What the administration put forward is so wishy washy,” Morrison-Frichtl said. “It’s hard to make good decisions based on what’s there because they didn’t come out and say things. I think their goal is to create anxiety and fear across the community so that people stop coming that are scared that they might be swept up in the whole undocumented status.”
The latest version of the law classifying who is eligible for Head Start has no mention of immigration status. Eligibility is primarily determined by family income, according to federal poverty guidelines. Children in foster care, those experiencing homelessness and those from families receiving public assistance are categorically eligible regardless of income.
The administration said Head Start is now considered a public benefit because it offers services similar to welfare.
“Where is the compassion and the belief that children need services to have an educational opportunity for kindergarten?” Morrison-Frichtl said. “These are longstanding citizens within, or even non-citizens, within our communities that are working families. If they have no place to put their child, they either won’t go to work or they’ll put their child in an unsafe place.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
