California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with a coalition of 20 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over federal directives restricting access to certain public benefit programs based on immigration status.
The big picture: The lawsuit challenges recent policy changes by the US Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, Education, and Justice, which implement eligibility guidelines for programs such as Head Start, mental health services, housing assistance, and domestic violence shelters.
- The attorneys general argue that the changes reverse decades of federal precedent and could limit access to essential services for undocumented individuals and mixed-status families.
Driving the news: In 2023-24, California’s 100 direct Head Start regional recipients served over 80,345 children and families at 1,842 individual site locations, and the new policies by the Trump Administration requiring programs to verify immigration status are expected to have a chilling effect, leading to decreased enrollment.
- President Trump and others in his administration stated that the restrictions are necessary to protect services for American citizens.
- The attorneys general from New York, Washington, Rhode Island, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Wisconsin joined Bonta in the legal action.
