Republican Senator Jim Banks is urging the Trump administration to seek reimbursement from sponsors of immigrants.
The Indiana freshman senator cited the Immigration and Nationality Act, which requires the reimbursement of any welfare benefits paid by taxpayers, but is rarely followed through.
Banks is hoping that will change under the Trump administration and believes that billions may have been doled out to immigrants via Medicaid, SNAP, and education expenses.
“It is the policy of the United States that aliens should not depend on public resources,” Banks wrote in a letter sent to the secretaries of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the commissioners of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration, Fox News reported.
Banks also wrote that “most alien households” rely heavily on publicly funded benefits like Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
“The immigration laws do not tolerate this rate of government dependence,” he wrote, citing the Immigration and Nationality Act that he claimed ensures self-sufficiency “by mandating repayment for benefits received by certain noncitizens,” according to Fox.
“Sponsoring relatives agree to reimburse the federal government for any means-tested benefit used by the alien before that alien becomes a citizen. This pledge is executed in a contract,” he wrote. “Pursuant to that contract, agencies that administer means-tested programs may seek repayment for benefits received while the alien was a noncitizen.”
Banks believes that illegal aliens cost taxpayers an “estimated $68 billion a year in public education costs, $42 billion in welfare, and $7 billion in medical treatment, which he said is ‘eclipsing the amount this group pays in taxes,’” and argues it’s high time sponsors live up to their contractual agreement, Fox reported.
Banks stated that he’s found no record of federal agencies requesting reimbursement and predicts “American taxpayers may well be owed a large amount of money.”
American taxpayers are getting ripped off. People who sponsor legal immigrants are required to repay welfare costs. But Washington has never enforced this law.
Time for that to endhttps://t.co/c9xNLppxSt
— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) February 5, 2026
A HUD spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the agency “is exploring all options to hold alien sponsors accountable and protect the American taxpayer.”
A Department of Agriculture spokesperson argued that it’s complicated.
“The rules governing eligibility for our programs, including SNAP, can be complex and often depend on multiple factors such as immigration status and other requirements,” they told Fox.
“For example, Haitian nationals granted TPS are not eligible for SNAP just because they have TPS. However, they may qualify if they also meet the definition of a Cuban and Haitian entrant (CHE) under Section 501(e) of the Refugee Education and Assistance Act of 1980,” they said, adding, “Individuals who are eligible based on their immigration status, such as being classified as a Cuban or Haitian entrant, must also satisfy other SNAP eligibility requirements such as income and resource limits.”
Banks asked the Trump administration to provide answers on the total amount of “means-tested benefits” that have been paid out to immigrants under the contracts by March 1st. He also asked for steps “to ensure that aliens do not become dependent on government support after entering the country.”
“This is about enforcing the law that’s already on the books,” Banks told Fox News Digital.
“Sponsors agreed to repay taxpayers if immigrants went on welfare, and the government needs to hold them to that promise.”
