Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, DOL NEWS—Employment and Training Administration announces new guidance regarding immigrant access to certain resources and grants, (Jul 10, 2025)

By Brandi O. Brown, J.D.

Under the guidance, all grantees funded through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and its related programs are required to verify valid work authorization before providing services.

Today, the Department of Labor has announced new guidance that it argues will “prevent illegal immigrants from utilizing taxpayer-funded workforce programs,” as part of its effort to carry out Executive Order 14218. With this new Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL), the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) states that it is changing its prior guidance to clarify and establish that all participant-level services are considered “federal public benefits” under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). Therefore, grantees must verify work authorization for all participants served by WIOA and certain identified related programs prior to delivering participant-level services.

This is contrary to TEGL 10-23, issued in 2024.

The new guidance directs the public workforce development system to update all policies and procedures to verify work authorization and maintain proper documentation in participant case files. It applies to programs including WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth programs (including statewide employment and training services funded by the Governor reserve), WIOA National Dislocated Worker Grants, Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service, Reentry Employment Opportunities and other programs authorized under Section 169 of WIOA, YouthBuild, the National Farmworker Jobs Program, and the Senior Community Service Employment Program.

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