DOJ Says States Must Report Undocumented Immigrants or Risk Losing Federal Aid

According to CNBC, the U.S. Department of Justice said all states going forward must report undocumented immigrants known to be in the state to the Department of Homeland Security or risk losing federal funding for programs that aid low-income individuals. The DOJ said its Office of Legal Counsel revised a 1998 opinion and now interprets federal law to require states that accept Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Security Income funds to share information with DHS about people known to be not lawfully present. The department said the new opinion applies prospectively only and does not affect past enrollments in TANF and SSI. The DOJ said federal TANF funding totals more than $16.4 billion annually, and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock said the clarification does not create new obligations but restores the statute's original meaning.