On Thursday, the Trump administration emphasized its efforts to restrict illegal immigrants’ access to public benefits, aiming to preserve resources for American citizens. The White House described this initiative as the most significant step in over 30 years to protect taxpayer-funded programs from being accessed by illegal aliens.

The administration highlighted the Department of Health and Human Services’ move to limit illegal immigrants’ eligibility for 13 public programs, alongside the Department of Education’s decision to end free tuition for undocumented students in specific career education courses. Additionally, the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, and Justice have taken measures to close loopholes and further restrict access to benefits for undocumented immigrants.

These coordinated actions form part of a broader Trump administration strategy to encourage self-deportation by cutting off access to public programs and promoting voluntary relocation efforts.

In a related development, former President Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, acknowledged in a Thursday interview that Trump was “right” about the border crisis. Speaking on the BBC’s “Reflections” podcast, Kerry admitted Democrats had allowed the border situation to worsen, stating, “Without a border protected, you don’t have a nation.”

Kerry expressed regret that the Biden administration had not been more forceful in enforcing immigration laws. When BBC correspondent James Naughtie suggested Trump would use Kerry’s remarks to support his border policies, Kerry agreed, emphasizing that bipartisan cooperation was needed to address the ongoing challenges at the border.