States now must report undocumented immigrants to DHS or risk federal funding, DOJ says

A banner of US President Donald Trump outside of the Department of Justice (DOJ) building in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesAll states going forward must report undocumented immigrants known to be in a state to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or risk losing federal funding for programs meant to aid low-income individuals, the Department of Justice said in a new legal opinion.The DOJ, in issuing the opinion, revised the Office of Legal Counsel's prior opinion from 1998, which found that only specific state agencies that administered the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Security Income programs needed to provide information to federal immigration authorities."Congress wrote this requirement plainly," Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser of the DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel, said in a statement."When a state chooses to participate in TANF, it accepts the obligation to report illegal aliens in the United States," Gaiser said. "Tax dollars intended to help vulnerable Americans should not perversely encourage illegal entry into the United States, but rather should reinforce our laws and our bo...