Twenty states and Washington, D.C. announced Monday they are taking legal action against the Trump administration to block what they term an “illegal data grab” focused on food stamp recipients.
The legal complaint, filed in a federal court in California, objects to a sweeping demand from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for sensitive information on all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients going back five years, such as Social Security numbers, immigration details, marital status, and education background.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the USDA’s demand unprecedented and a violation of privacy statutes. New York Attorney General Letitia James described it as a targeted attack on immigrants.
“Weaponizing the SNAP Program”
“They are basically trying to weaponize the SNAP program against immigrant communities in violation of the law,” James said. “We will not allow this life-saving program to be illegally used to hunt down immigrants and their families.”
According to James, this information request goes beyond normal auditing and instead seeks to use SNAP information to aid deportations. Last week, she filed an additional lawsuit regarding federal measures denying emergency social services to undocumented immigrants.
Connecticut and New Jersey have also signaled their intent to participate in the lawsuit.
USDA Silent, DOJ Declines Comment
Following its May request, and an expansion of data categories last week, the USDA deferred all media questions to the Department of Justice, which chose not to issue a comment.
The USDA defends its actions by citing a Trump administration executive order to crack down on “waste, fraud, and abuse” across federal programs. States must submit the requested info by July 30 or could see funding suspended unless a judge orders otherwise.
Broader Pattern of Surveillance?
This lawsuit is filed as new reports indicate the Trump administration widened information-sharing with immigration enforcement. The Associated Press reports that ICE has been using Medicaid data to locate undocumented individuals. Though these individuals are barred from Medicaid, they can receive Emergency Medicaid for critical care.
SNAP benefits nearly 3 million people in New York state (including 1.8 million in NYC and half a million children). Although undocumented immigrants don’t qualify directly, they can apply for U.S.-citizen dependents.
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