Americans are fed up. For years, they’ve watched their hard-earned tax dollars flow to people who shouldn’t even be in the country. The frustration is palpable in communities across the nation.

Meanwhile, grocery bills keep climbing for law-abiding citizens. Seniors on fixed incomes stretch every dollar at the supermarket while wondering why they’re footing the bill for those who broke the law to enter the country.

The gravy train for illegal immigrants is finally coming to a screeching halt. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday that she has directed officials to implement President Trump’s executive order titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” which will block illegal immigrants from receiving food stamps and other taxpayer-funded benefits.

From ‘The Post Millennial’:

“With its enactment, illegal aliens in the United States should not depend on taxpayer dollars to take care of their needs. President Trump’s Executive Order reaffirms this important national policy—and puts the needs of Americans first,” Rollins wrote. “It is essential we use all available legal authority to end any incentives in FNS benefit programs that encourage illegal immigration.”

Rollins emphasized that the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act “generally prohibits illegal aliens from receiving Federal benefits, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.”

The USDA Secretary has directed Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) staff to review all public benefit programs to ensure alignment with Trump’s executive order. After the review, the department will implement necessary changes to make all programs consistent with federal law.

Rollins didn’t stop there. She also announced plans to revise public messaging about program eligibility to ensure information is accurate and “does not encourage illegal aliens to use public benefit programs.” The department will also strengthen eligibility verification procedures to prevent fraud.

Trump Effect Sends Migrants Packing

Turns out when you stop handing out freebies, the line at the door gets a lot shorter. The crackdown on benefits is already having a dramatic impact across the southern border and beyond.

Latin American migrants are turning around in droves and expressing regret at attempting to cross unlawfully into the United States.

The president’s ramped-up enforcement policies and elimination of government services have prompted many illegal migrants to simply give up and head home.

Karla Castillo, a 36-year-old Venezuelan national, told Chilean newspaper El Mostrador that she “regrets a thousand times” having left Chile to try entering the U.S.

“My goal was to get to the United States and then bring my children, but they closed the border and it could not be done,” Castillo said. “It is time to return to Venezuela and wait a little while to return to Chile again.”

Funny how quickly “asylum seekers” discover they’re actually economic migrants when the welcome mat gets pulled away.

Reverse Migration Through Darien Gap

Perhaps the most telling evidence of the policy’s effectiveness can be seen in the Darien Gap, a treacherous jungle region between Colombia and Panama that migrants must cross to reach the U.S.

In January 2024, nearly 35,000 migrants crossed the Darien. Fast forward to January 2025, and that number has collapsed to just 2,159 – a staggering 94% reduction.

The drop in northbound traffic has been so dramatic that smugglers have pivoted to a new business model: charging migrants $200-$250 to transport them back south through the Darien in what officials describe as a “reverse flow” phenomenon.

Central American governments are adapting to this new reality. Panama and Costa Rica recently agreed to transfer returning migrants to shelters and eventually repatriate them via U.S.-provided aircraft.

Panamanian officials are even exploring the possibility of establishing direct repatriation flights to Venezuela.

“We want to guarantee an orderly, legal, humanitarian, and safe migratory flow,” a Costa Rican minister said. “This meeting marks the beginning of a coordination that seeks to ensure the return of migrants to their countries of origin in adequate conditions.”

America First Immigration Enforcement

The Trump administration’s comprehensive approach to immigration enforcement includes other measures that have contributed to the dramatic decline in illegal crossings.

A Department of Homeland Security official acknowledged last year that roughly 80% of asylum seekers who reach the U.S. are rejected and sent back – confirming what conservatives have long argued: most border crossers are economic migrants, not legitimate asylum cases.

Looks like the message is finally getting through: America’s generosity is reserved for Americans and those who follow the rules to come here legally. What a concept!

Key Takeaways:

• USDA cuts off food stamps for illegal immigrants, enforcing the law that Americans’ tax dollars should benefit Americans first.
• Border crossings plummet 94% as word spreads that the benefits “gravy train” has ended.
• Migrants are now paying smugglers to take them back home rather than continue north to the U.S.

Sources: The Post Millennial, Daily Caller