Bonamici, Hayes, Leger Fernández Lead Letter to Protect Immigrant Access to Head Start

WASHINGTON, DC [8/12/25] – Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), and Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM) led 34 Members of Congress in calling for the Department of Health and Human Services to protect immigrant access to Head Start.

The Representatives sent the letter after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a notice in the Federal Register on July 15 that changes how the department interprets “federal public benefit” under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). This change bars certain immigrants from critical HHS services they have been able to access for decades. 

With this reinterpretation, more than 115,000 children and families would lose access to vital early childhood education services. Since its founding more than 60 years ago, Head Start has served approximately 40 million children. And since 1982, it has been the law of the land that school districts cannot exclude undocumented school-age children from public schools. 

“Excluding some immigrant children from early education may create greater costs over time,” the Representatives wrote. “Children who enter kindergarten without access to preschool are more likely to need additional support in foundational areas such as literacy, social skills, and basic health care; services that are often addressed in Head Start through early learning and screenings. Keeping immigrant children from participating in Head Start programs would not address the long waitlists nor alleviate limited program availability.” 

The Representatives expressed concern the proposed change would have wide-reaching consequences for both families and the labor market. Without access to affordable, reliable early care and education, thousands of parents – many of whom work in essential industries – would likely be forced to leave their jobs or abandon job searches to care for their children. 

“We strongly urge you to cease efforts to reclassify Head Start as a federal public benefit and restore program access to immigrant children, who should not be punished for their family’s immigration status,” the Representatives wrote. “Insufficient investment in children’s early years ultimately costs taxpayers far more in the long run by increasing the burden on the education and health systems and shortchanging vulnerable families trying to meet their most basic needs. Head Start programs are critical to overall child care landscape and the proposed change will further exacerbate pervasive challenges in the child care sector, hinder labor participation, and limit educational opportunities for our nation’s youngest.”

The full letter is available here.

Bonamici is Ranking Member of the House Education and Workforce of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee (ECESE) and Co-Chair of bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus. Leger Fernández is Chair of Democratic Women’s Caucus and Co-Chair of bipartisan Head Start to Congress Caucus. Hayes is on the ECESE Subcommittee and is an inaugural member of the Head Start to Congress Caucus.

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