A federal judge has issued a nationwide block on a Trump administration directive that prevented children in the U.S. illegally from enrolling in Head Start, a federally funded preschool program. Head Start associations in several states filed suit against the policy change by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The ruling by a federal judge in Washington state on Thursday comes after a coalition of 21 Democratic attorney generals succeeded in temporarily halting the policy’s implementation within their own states. With the new ruling, the policy is now on hold across the country.

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., center, speaks during a news conference after a policy luncheon at the CapitolTuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

  • Updated

Sen. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks during a news conference after a policy luncheon at the CapitolTuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)