'Dangerous and illegal': Democrat AGs sue Trump over effort to use SNAP to locate migrants
The lawsuit, led by James, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, comes after the Trump administration demanded states turn over detailed personal information related to recipients and applicants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, before July 30.
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold SNAP funding from states who fail to comply with the July 30 deadline—teeing up a high-stakes, eleventh-hour court clash between Trump officials and leaders from 20 Democratic-led states.
Speaking to reporters on a press call Monday, James and other attorneys general took umbrage with the new SNAP data-sharing requirement, describing it as an "illegal data grab" designed to intimidate vulnerable communities and help track down migrants who might be subject to deportation.
"This administration is attempting to use this program as a tool in their cruel and chaotic targeting of immigrants," James said.
The lawsuit is not the first time James, a longtime Trump foe, has sparred with Trump in court since the start of his second presidential term.
To date, she's joined Democratic attorneys general in more than a dozen other lawsuits challenging his early actions.
Bonta, for his part, described the USDA's new demands as a cruel bait-and-switch from the Trump administration.
He noted that the data the administration is allegedly attempting to mine comes from a decades-old aid program designed to help ensure that low-income families have access to food.
"SNAP recipients provided this information to get help to feed their families—not to be entered into a government surveillance database, or be used as targets for the president's inhumane immigration agenda," Bonta said on Tuesday.
"This kind of targeting doesn't make America safer. It threatens kids' access to school meals, it jeopardizes wildfire survivors' access to relief," he added.
"And it sends a chilling message: if you reach out for help, you may be punished for it."
The trio also rejected the assertion that USDA's request for the additional SNAP data, first announced in March, was made under the guise of helping eliminate "waste and fraud" within the federal government—noting that the SNAP program historically has "very low rates of fraud."
Rather, the Democratic attorneys general described the demand for information as a "flat-out illegal" attempt by the Trump administration to unlawfully obtain personal information about immigrants living in their states.
They noted that, in addition to threatening to withhold SNAP funds, Trump officials have expanded the amount of data that states are required to submit about the individuals in the program.
The new USDA demands, released last week, require states to provide a list of individuals who have applied or are currently receiving SNAP benefits, in addition to other information such as a list of their immigration statuses in the U.S., and information including their marital statuses, their residential and mailing addresses, and education and employment history, among other things.
Each of the attorneys general said Monday that the program would require them to share the personal information of millions of residents in their states, dating back to 2020, and bypassing federal laws that dictate how such information can be used.
"This is not for research," James said. "They are basically trying to weaponize the SNAP program against immigrant communities, in violation of the law."
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, for his part, described the push by the administration as an attempt to "hunt down" and obtain personal information for millions of residents in their states.
"They're bypassing legal procedures, ignoring privacy protections, and demanding data that federal law explicitly says can only be used for administering the SNAP program," Bonta said, noting that they "ignored hundreds of public comments pointing out major flaws in the government's plans."
The lawsuit comes as James and other Democratic-led states have taken aim at Trump's sweeping policy goals and executive orders in court, which they describe as excessive and unconstitutional.
Since his inauguration in January, Bonta noted, Democrat-led states have filed 35 lawsuits against the Trump administration.
Bonta said Monday that the USDA requirement is a "clear violation" of the "Spending Clause, federal privacy statutes, and the USDA's own authority," prompting them to file suit.
"President Trump made promises to the American people and now he's breaking them," the group said Monday.
"He's rewriting the rules, targeting the most vulnerable and expecting states to fall in line."
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