Preventing Access to TANF for Illegal Aliens
Title IV of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), P.L. 104-193, as amended, limits TANF and other “federal public benefits” to American citizens and qualified aliens. Illegal aliens are not citizens or qualified aliens, and thus not eligible for TANF benefits. More information can be found in the 1998 Office of Family Assistance (OFA) Information Memorandum.
This webpage provides resources intended to help state TANF agency staff prevent unlawful services to illegal aliens.
Reminder: U.S. Code section (42 USC § 608(g)) mandates that states receiving federal grants (under § 603, related to welfare/family assistance) must report individuals they know aren't lawfully present in the U.S. to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), primarily into U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at least quarterly and upon request, providing names, addresses, and other info, linking state benefits with immigration enforcement.
The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services will host a webinar on March 18, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview of common immigration documents used in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) process.
The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services will host a webinar on March 11, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET to provide an overview on Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) and how it works, explain how to register, and offer resources and…
On July 10, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a significant policy shift to restore compliance with federal law and ensure that taxpayer-funded program benefits, intended for the American people, are not…
On March 24, 2025, the Acting Assistant Secretary of the Administration for Children and Families …
This fact sheet by the Trump-Vance administration outlines their actions to prevent illegal aliens from obtaining social security benefits, including:
- Ending benefit for illegal aliens;
- …
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent a letter to state administrators of the TANF program, reminding them it is prohibited to provide benefits to illegal aliens. This ACF press release highlights the letter, Identifying and…