Weaponization of SNAP benefits to target undocumented immigrants at heart of lawsuit led by New York's Letitia James

CBS News

6 days ago

New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading a coalition of officials from across the country to beat back what it says is the targeting of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Members of the coalition say it's the latest attempt by the Trump administration to weaponize federal aid to attack undocumented immigrants.
James, along with the attorneys general from California and Michigan, have filed a lawsuit on behalf of officials in 22 states. New Jersey joined on behalf of its more than 824,000 SNAP recipients.
"This administration is attempting to use this program as a tool in their cruel and chaotic targeting of immigrants. It is outrageous. It is unacceptable," James said.
The suit, which was filed in the Northern District of California, challenges what officials say is a new requirement that low-income families turn over a raft of personal information, including immigration status for the past five years, in order to get benefits.
James says it's illegal and is being, "illegally used to hunt down immigrants and their families."
The coalition is seeking a court judgment to declare the policy illegal and prevent its enforcement.
More than 40 million people nationwide rely on SNAP benefits including 2.9 million in New York. Of those, 1.8 million are in New York City. They received $7.35 billion in assistance last year, with benefits ranging from $292 per month for one person up to $1,756 for a household of eight.
Under the program, immigrants who are citizens can receive SNAP benefits and non citizens can apply for SNAP benefits for their children who are born here and have birthright citizenship.
Immigrants rights experts say it's another attempt at expanded surveillance.
"They're trying to utilize every single federal data base to further their mass family separation and mass deportation agenda -- those who are here lawfully, as well as those who have fallen out of state, to target them for enforcement," said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.
Asked about the suit, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice issued a terse, "No comment."