States Are Fighting The Trump Admin's Ability To Use SNAP Data Against Immigrants
In a lawsuit announced on Monday, the officials are challenging demands by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that states release personal data about SNAP recipients, including Social Security numbers, home addressesand their immigration status by July 30. That demand comes as Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons has said that the Trump administration intends to use data from social programs like Medicaid to gather 'intelligence' on undocumented immigrants and track people down. USDA, meanwhile, has claimed that its request for personal data is aimed at verifying applicants' eligibility for SNAP, also known as food stamps, and reducing fraud and abuse in the program.
'We will not comment on pending litigation,' a USDA spokesperson said in response to the lawsuit, while referring HuffPost to the Justice Department. A DOJ spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Democratic AGs behind the suit argue that these personal data requests will deter immigrants from applying for social programs and be used to identify undocumented people for enforcement actions as Trump continues to ramp up deportations. There are roughly forty million people who use SNAP benefits in the U.S., and non-citizen parents are able to apply for benefits for their children who are citizens.
The AGs note that the USDA's efforts are a violation of privacy laws and constitutional protections that recipients of these programs are entitled to. Their lawsuit seeks to prevent the Trump administration from withholding SNAP funding for states that don't comply with these data requests — a threat that the AGs say USDA has previously made.
'President Trump continues to weaponize private and sensitive personal information — not to root out fraud, but to create a culture of fear where people are unwilling to apply for essential services,' California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Monday in a statement.'We're talking about kids not getting school lunch; fire victims not accessing emergency services; and other devastating, and deadly, consequences.'
This suit adds to legal pushback on the administration's attempts to access sensitive data: Already, it's made moves to use Medicaid data to identify undocumented immigrants, which has prompted another lawsuit from Democratic AGs.The administration is also using IRS data as another way to find undocumented people; Democratic officials warn that SNAP data could be next.
'This administration is attempting to use this program as a tool in their cruel and chaotic targeting of immigrants,' New York Attorney General Letitia James told reporters. 'It is outrageous. It is unacceptable.'
Related...
Trump Administration Hands Over Medicaid Recipients' Personal Data To ICE
Trump's Deportations — And Detentions — Are Incredibly Unpopular
Judge Blocks Birthright Citizenship Restrictions In Third Ruling Since SCOTUS Decision
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
11 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
UCLA to Pay ‘Heavy Price' for Campus Antisemitism, Bondi Says
Attorney General Pam Bondi demanded 'severe accountability' from the University of California at Los Angeles on Tuesday after the Justice Department found the university violated federal civil rights laws by failing to stop antisemitic harassment on campus. DOJ's Civil Rights Division said UCLA acted with 'deliberate indifference' to reports of abuse targeting Jewish and Israeli students since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to a press release. Additionally, the department said the university failed to meet its legal obligations under the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, in a notice of violation.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
How to pronounce Ghislaine Maxwell's name
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is making headlines again after meetings with the Department of Justice. A senior DOJ official met with Maxwell for a second day of talks on Friday, July 25. This comes as the Trump administration attempts to block the release of additional documents related to the investigation into Epstein's death. The disgraced financier died by suicide in August 2019 after being convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida, after being found guilty in 2021 of helping Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She is currently appealing her sentence. POTUS on socialite Ghislaine Maxwell: Trump says he hasn't considered pardoning Epstein associate Closed-door discussions involved Maxwell, her attorneys and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's former defense lawyer. Maxwell's lawyer said an initial meeting with the Department of Justice was "very productive." But how do you pronounce Maxwell's first name? How to pronounce Ghislaine Maxwell's name The French name Ghislaine is pronounced" Ghee-len" with a hard "g" The "s" is silent while the "laine" portion rhymes with "again." It can also be pronounced "lahn" depending on the accent of the individual speaking the name. Contributing: USA TODAY's Christopher Cann, Jeff Burlew and Aysha Bagchi. Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@ and follow her on X @nataliealund. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to pronounce the name of Epstein's girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Epstein 'stole' Virginia Giuffre and other young women from Mar-a-Lago spa
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Jeffrey Epstein "stole" Virginia Giuffre and other young women who worked at the spa in his Mar-a-Lago club. "People were taken out of the spa, hired by him. In other words, gone," Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from Scotland to Washington, where he continues to face fallout from his administration's handling of files related to Epstein. "And other people would come and complain, 'this guy is taking people from the spa.' I didn't know that," Trump continued. "And then when I heard about it, I told him, I said, 'Listen, we don't want you taking our people, whether it was spa or not spa.' I don't want him taking people. And he was fine. And then not too long after that, he did it again and I said, 'out of here.'" MORE: Trump, in Scotland, gives more details about his falling out with Jeffrey Epstein Trump was then asked if one of those women was Giuffre, an Epstein accuser who died by suicide this past April at the age of 41. Giuffre, ABC News previously reported, had accused Ghislaine Maxwell of recruiting her when she was 17 years old working as a locker-room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in 2000 and bringing her to Epstein's home for a massage. Maxwell denies those allegations. "I don't know. I think she worked at the spa, I think so, I think that was one of the people. Yeah, he stole her. And by the way, she had no complaints about us, none whatsoever," Trump responded. The comments appear to be the most detailed Trump has made publicly about the circumstances surrounding his falling out with Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. At the time of Epstein's arrest, Trump said they hadn't spoken in 15 years. Last week, White House communications director Steven Cheung had said Epstein was kicked out of Trump's club "for being a creep." Then on Monday, Trump framed their falling out as a result of Epstein poaching his employees after being warned not to. Asked about the apparent discrepancy between the two reasons, Trump asserted they are "the same thing." "You know, it's sort of a little bit of the same thing," he said. "But no, he took people that work for me, and I told him, 'don't do it anymore.' And he did it. I said, 'stay the hell out of here.'" Trump was asked by one reporter during the Air Force One gaggle, "Mr. President, Epstein has a certain reputation, obviously, but just curious where some of the workers that were taken from you were some of them young women?" He went on to respond, "Well, I don't want to say, but everyone knows the people that were taken. And it was the concept of taking people that work for me is bad. But that story has been pretty well out there. And the answer is yes, they were." MORE: Democratic senators ask Blanche to commit that DOJ won't advocate for pardon or commutation for Maxwell Maxwell, a longtime Epstein associate who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking, is now publicly lobbying for a pardon. She appealed to Congress on that point on Tuesday so she could testify "openly and honestly" before the House Oversight Committee. When Maxwell sat down for nine hours of interviews with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week, her attorney David Markus said they hoped Trump "exercises that power in the right and just way." Blanche has not revealed what was discussed in the meetings, saying only that he would do so at the "appropriate time." Maxwell was granted limited immunity to speak with Blanche, sources told ABC News. President Trump continued to leave open the possibility of a pardon for Maxwell on Monday, saying he had the authority to do so but hadn't been asked. "It's in the news, that -- that aspect of it. But right now, it would be inappropriate to talk about it," Trump said.
