Judge Permanently Blocks Trump Rule Barring Immigrants From Head Start, Health Clinics

On Sept. 21, 2026, U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island permanently struck down a Trump directive that would have barred many immigrants -- including visa holders, Temporary Protected Status recipients and DACA recipients -- from Head Start preschools, health clinics and adult education programs. McElroy, a Trump appointee, had temporarily blocked the July 2025 directive last year, so it never took effect; her ruling made that block permanent. She found the administration acted "procedurally invalid" by bypassing the notice-and-comment process required to reclassify decades of policy under a Clinton-era welfare law. Democratic attorneys general from 20 states and D.C. had sued to block it.

The directive would have required Head Start centers and other underfunded agencies to verify immigration status, a burden plaintiffs said could have forced some centers to close and deterred citizens without ready documentation from seeking care. New York Attorney General Letitia James called it an attempt to "decimate the social safety net."

McElroy's ruling does not bar the administration from pursuing the same policy through proper rulemaking. As of this writing, the administration had not said whether it would do so or appeal.