Trump signs executive order to block benefits to people in the US illegally
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday night directing federal agencies to "identify all federally funded programs currently providing financial benefits to illegal aliens and take corrective action," according to a fact sheet released by the White House.
It intends to ensure that federal funding will not be used to "support 'sanctuary' policies or assist illegal immigration" and mandates improvements in eligibility verification.
The order also calls for identifying all other sources of federal funding for those unlawfully present in the United States, and it seeks recommendations for additional agency actions to align federal spending with the order within 30 days.
Agencies are tasked with referring "improper receipt or use of Federal benefits to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security for appropriate action."
The White House noted in its fact sheet that illegal migrants are already barred from welfare programs, raising the question of how much funding Trump might be expecting to withhold. It also fails to define "illegal alien" -- the term it applies -- for the purposes of executing this order.
- ABC News' Molly Nagle






