AAP Statement on New Restrictions to Federal Programs for Immigrant Families

By: Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, president, American Academy of Pediatrics 

“The recent announcements by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Agriculture and Education to change decades-old federal policy and require early education, nutrition and mental health programs to verify the immigration status of children – including infants and toddlers – have alarmed pediatricians and go against what we know children need to be healthy.  

“It hurts all children and makes communities less healthy when children in immigrant families are denied access to programs that support their development and well-being. These changes will impact programs like Head Start, which provides early childhood educational services, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which supports child nutrition, and Title X Family Planning, which supports new mothers with needed resources, as well as health centers that provide access to medical, dental, and mental health care to underserved communities.  

“These new restrictions overturn policy that has been in place since 1998 and will keep many immigrant families, including those with U.S. citizen children, from accessing these vital health programs. At a time when unprecedented immigration enforcement actions are taking place across the country, bolstered by recent funding in legislation passed by Congress last week, the chilling effect this will have on immigrant families’ access to these programs is especially concerning. 

“These new changes will not make our country healthier, and they will be nearly impossible to implement for the community organizations that administer the impacted programs.  

“Children represent 100 percent of our future, and for our entire country to prosper, we must prioritize the health of all children. We oppose these restrictions and urge the federal agencies to rescind them and put children first.” 

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.