A federal court in Rhode Island blocked the Trump administration's restrictions on access to public benefit programs based on immigration status, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta and a multistate coalition.
The at-risk programs included Head Start, childcare services for low-income families, adult education, mental health and substance use disorder programs, and shelters for underserved youth and domestic violence survivors. The administration's restrictions also affected medical and public health services, mental health and substance use treatment, and community nutritional services such as soup kitchens and Meals on Wheels.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island found that the restrictions violated the Administrative Procedure Act and enjoined various federal agencies from implementing them.
"With today's decision, families across California can breathe a little easier," Bonta said. "The Trump Administration's heartless anti-immigration campaign has created real fear and confusion among immigrant families nationwide. These families would only be worse off if its cruel restrictions on programs like Head Start went into effect."
Since 1997, the federal government has interpreted The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to permit states' use of federal funds for certain programs serving communities based on need regardless of immigration status. In July 2025, Bonta joined a multistate coalition in suing the Trump administration over its decision to restrict access to more than a dozen public benefit programs. In September 2025, the coalition secured a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of Justice, and Department of Education from implementing program notices. In December 2025, after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued its own notice, the coalition added HUD and its Secretary as defendants and subsequently secured an agreement staying enforcement of HUD's notice.