Story perspectives

Justice Department Orders States to Report Undocumented Immigrants

9/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Justice Department requires states that receive TANF or SSI funds to report undocumented immigrants to DHS.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock warned that non-compliance could trigger loss of federal funding.
The rule expands reporting to all state agencies, requiring names, addresses and identifiers quarterly or on DHS request.
Federal TANF grants total over $16.4 billion and SSI benefits exceed $60 billion annually, overturning a 1998 Clinton-era opinion.

History

Historical Context

President Bill Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act on August 22 1996, ending AFDC and creating the block-grant TANF program with a five-year lifetime limit. The law barred most non-citizens from federal benefits, a restriction reinforced by the 1998 Noncitizen Benefit Clarification amendment. Now Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock’s Justice Department rule forces states to send undocumented residents’ names to Homeland Security.

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Story summary

The Justice Department requires states that receive TANF or SSI funds to report undocumented immigrants to DHS.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock warned that non-compliance could trigger loss of federal funding.
The rule expands reporting to all state agencies, requiring names, addresses and identifiers quarterly or on DHS request.
Federal TANF grants total over $16.4 billion and SSI benefits exceed $60 billion annually, overturning a 1998 Clinton-era opinion.

1 / 2