DOJ Won't Punish States' Past Reporting Failures, Only Future Ones
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock co-wrote the opinion, which reaches Puerto Rico and every other U.S. territory too.
- States that relied on the 1998 memo face no penalty for the past, only future silence counts.
- Gaiser wrote that taking TANF money means accepting the duty to report illegal aliens to DHS.
- TANF grants topped $16.4 billion last year, funding now conditioned on every state agency reporting them.
Why it matters: The 1996 law never changed, only the choice to enforce it, and Washington just made that choice.
DOJ Office of Public Affairs press release ↗ · Sep 3, 20269/3/26 · Updated Sep 3