A coalition of states led by Democratic attorneys general, including Hawaii, has initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to prevent cuts to food assistance programs affecting legal immigrants. The complaint was filed in federal court in Eugene, Oregon, by the attorneys general from 21 states and the District of Columbia, challenging recent directives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that classify certain non-citizen groups as ineligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The USDA’s new guidance, interpreted from a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump in July, deems permanent residents who have been granted asylum or entered as refugees as ineligible for SNAP benefits. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who co-led the lawsuit with Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, emphasized the importance of food security, stating, “USDA has no authority to arbitrarily cut entire groups of people out of the SNAP program, and no one should go hungry because of the circumstances of their arrival to this country.”
This legal action comes in response to a significant shift in policy that the states argue violates federal law. According to USDA data from fiscal year 2023, approximately 1% of SNAP recipients, or 434,000 individuals, were refugees, while around 3%, equating to 1.3 million, were other non-citizens, including lawful permanent residents.
The states contend that the law does not prevent refugees and asylees from becoming eligible for SNAP benefits once they adjust their immigration status to become lawful permanent residents. However, the guidance issued on October 31, 2023, goes beyond this, labeling these groups as permanently “not eligible,” which the states claim is a misinterpretation of the law.
The lawsuit highlights the urgency of the situation, as states are now under pressure to alter their eligibility systems to comply with USDA’s directives or risk facing penalties. The attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia have joined Hawaii in this legal battle.
In a response to the lawsuit, a White House spokesperson stated that Trump was elected to eliminate “waste, fraud, and abuse” in government programs, including ensuring that benefits intended for American citizens do not extend to those in the country illegally. It is important to note that individuals who are living in the country without legal status are not eligible for SNAP benefits.
This lawsuit represents a significant moment in the ongoing debate over immigration policy and food assistance in the United States. As the legal proceedings unfold, the implications for legal immigrants relying on SNAP for support could be profound, impacting tens of thousands of individuals and families across the country.
