A coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general is pushing back hard against the Trump administration’s latest move to gather personal data from people who rely on food assistance. The concern is simple and serious — that food stamp data could become another tool in a broader immigration crackdown.
On Monday, the AGs filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s demand that states hand over sensitive information on recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, by July 30. That includes things like Social Security numbers, home addresses, and even immigration status.
The lawsuit was triggered in part by remarks from Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who recently said the administration plans to use data from public benefit programs like Medicaid to collect “intelligence” on undocumented immigrants. The AGs fear SNAP is the next target.
While the USDA claims the goal is simply to verify eligibility and crack down on fraud, officials in states across the country aren’t buying it. “We will not comment on pending litigation,” a USDA spokesperson told HuffPost, directing questions to the Justice Department. DOJ has yet to respond.
Democratic leaders say this type of data request doesn’t just raise eyebrows — it raises serious legal and ethical issues. They argue the USDA’s push violates privacy laws and constitutional protections, and it sends a chilling message to immigrant families: If you seek help, you might be putting a target on your back.
The fear is that immigrant parents — especially those who are undocumented but have U.S.-born children — will stop applying for vital assistance like food benefits, even when they’re legally eligible on behalf of their kids.
“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,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. “We’re talking about kids not getting school lunch; fire victims not accessing emergency services; and other devastating, and deadly, consequences.”
The lawsuit also points out that the USDA has threatened to withhold SNAP funding from states that don’t comply — a move the AGs say is both unlawful and deeply harmful to communities that rely on the program. SNAP serves nearly 40 million people in the U.S., many of them low-income families and children.
This legal challenge isn’t coming out of nowhere. It follows other attempts by the Trump administration to tap into data from programs like Medicaid and even the IRS to locate undocumented immigrants. Critics say this strategy is less about protecting benefits and more about weaponizing government programs against vulnerable populations.
“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 said. “It is outrageous. It is unacceptable”, reported CBS News.
With the USDA’s deadline looming, this legal battle could have big implications not just for food assistance, but for how far government agencies can go in sharing data — and who ends up paying the price.