States file lawsuit against Trump administration over efforts to collect
SNAP recipients' data
[July 29, 2025]
By KIMBERLY KINDY
Washington (AP) — A coalition of 20 state attorneys general filed a
lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration's demand that their
states turn over personal data of people enrolled in a federally funded
food assistance program, fearing the information will be used to aid
mass deportations.
The data demand comes as the Trump administration has sought to collect
private information on mostly lower-income people who may be in the
country illegally. It has already ordered the Internal Revenue Service
and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to share private
information with the Department of Homeland Security to aid in
deportation efforts.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture told states last week that it had
until Wednesday to hand over the data for those enrolled in its
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which serves more
than 42 million people nationwide. The USDA said the data will help it
combat waste, fraud and abuse.
The states' lawsuit seeks an injunction to block the data transfer. In
the meantime, state attorneys general in the SNAP lawsuit said they will
not disclose what they consider to be private information of recipients
— including their immigration status, birthdates and home addresses —
because they believe it would be a violation of privacy laws.
“It’s a bait-and-switch of the worst kind,” California Attorney General
Rob Bonta said in a Monday afternoon news conference announcing the
lawsuit. “SNAP recipients provided this information to get help feeding
their families, not to be entered into a government surveillance
database or be used as targets in the president’s inhumane immigration
agenda.”
In May, the department announced it was seeking the data as part of
President Donald Trump's executive order to obtain data from state
programs to help root out fraud and waste. “For years, this program has
been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data,” USDA
Secretary Brooke L. Rollins said in a statement at the time. “The
Department is focused on appropriate and lawful participation in SNAP,
and today’s request is one of many steps to ensure SNAP is preserved for
only those eligible.”
USDA officials declined a request for comment on the suit.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks during a news
conference April 16, 2025, in Ceres, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger,
File)
The USDA did not mention immigration enforcement in the announcement
or later notices. It is not clear why USDA officials believe the
data will help it weed out fraud and abuse. The agency claims the
program is already “one of the most rigorous quality control systems
in the federal government.”
Immigration advocates noted that the Trump administration has used
the same argument to obtain other sensitive data, only to later
admit it would be using the information to enhance its deportation
operations. Trump administration officials, for example, initially
claimed they were seeking state Medicaid data to fight fraud. Last
week, a top immigration official conceded they would be utilizing
that same information to locate immigrants.
Agency officials have threatened to withhold SNAP funding if states
fail to comply with their demand for data.
While immigrants without legal status are ineligible to receive SNAP
benefits, they can apply on behalf of their children who are U.S.
citizens or those who are part of a mixed-status household.
Under the program, formerly known as food stamps, the federal
government pays for 100% of the food benefits, but the states help
cover the administrative costs. States are also responsible for
determining whether individuals are eligible for benefits and for
issuing those benefits to enrollees.
Immigration and data privacy advocates expressed alarm at the Trump
administration’s efforts to obtain sensitive SNAP data maintained by
states.
“The administration has all but told us that their intention is to
comb this data and use it for unlawful purposes that include
immigration enforcement,” said Madeline Wiseman, an attorney with
the National Student Legal Defense Network, which filed a lawsuit in
May with privacy and hunger relief groups that are also challenging
USDA’s efforts for SNAP data.
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