A coalition of 20 states and Washington, D.C. announced Monday they are suing the Trump administration to stop what they call an “illegal data grab” targeting food stamp recipients.
The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, challenges a demand by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for personal information about all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients going back five years, including Social Security numbers, immigration status, marital history, and education levels.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the USDA’s sweeping data request unprecedented and in violation of federal privacy laws. New York Attorney General Letitia James went further, calling it a direct attack on immigrant communities.
“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.”
James said the request was not about program oversight, but about using the SNAP system to boost deportation numbers. Last week, she filed a separate lawsuit over federal efforts to bar undocumented immigrants from accessing emergency social services.
Connecticut and New Jersey are also among the states expected to join the lawsuit.
The USDA, which issued the initial request in May and added more data categories in documents last week, deferred questions to the Department of Justice. DOJ officials declined to comment.
The USDA has previously said the data request stems from an executive order by President Donald Trump aimed at eliminating “waste, fraud, and abuse” in federal programs. States were given until July 30 to comply or risk losing funding, unless a judge delays enforcement.
The lawsuit comes amid revelations that the Trump administration expanded data-sharing with immigration enforcement agencies. ICE has already begun accessing Medicaid records to identify undocumented immigrants, according to the Associated Press. Though undocumented people are ineligible for Medicaid, they may access Emergency Medicaid for lifesaving ER care.
SNAP serves nearly 3 million people in New York state, including 1.8 million in New York City, with half a million children among the recipients. While undocumented immigrants can’t receive benefits themselves, they may apply on behalf of their U.S.-born children.