21 states sue Trump administration over new SNAP restrictions on immigrants

PORTLAND, OREGON: A coalition of 21 Democratic attorneys general launched a legal offensive against the Trump administration, suing to block new federal guidance that tightened food stamp eligibility for immigrants.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, November 26, in the US District Court for the District of Oregon, challenged the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) recent move to restrict access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The legal action is the latest salvo in the Democrats' legal challenge to the GOP’s tax and spending package, which was signed into law in July to reduce federal welfare spending.

Democrats claim guidance is 'arbitrary and capricious'

Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the coalition argued that the Trump administration was unlawfully barring legal permanent residents from receiving aid.

The lawsuit alleged that the USDA issued guidance on October 31 declaring that certain groups of legal immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, were permanently ineligible for SNAP, a shift the Democrats claim violated existing statute.

"The Guidance is arbitrary and capricious because the Defendants failed to provide a reasoned explanation for why the agency was changing its position," the filing stated, demanding a judge bar the USDA from implementing the stricter rules.

Trump admin moves to enforce 'financial penalties'

The dispute centered on the interpretation of the new spending laws. While the GOP legislation narrowed eligibility to streamline the budget, state officials claimed that the USDA's specific guidance went too far by removing the five-year waiting period pathway for some green-card holders.

State officials are particularly alarmed by the potential for "heavy financial penalties" if they fail to comply with the new federal standards immediately.

"USDA’s interpretation could saddle states with fines so extreme that some warn they could reportedly be forced to shut down their SNAP programs entirely," Letitia James complained in a statement, painting a dire picture of the administration's fiscal discipline measures.

States scramble to overhaul systems

The lawsuit also raised grievances about the timeline of the rollout. Officials noted that the USDA did not grant the standard 120-day grace period for states to update their eligibility systems, forcing local governments to "scramble" to overhaul their databases overnight.

California AG Rob Bonta, a frequent critic of the president, accused the administration of "blatantly" violating the law, promising to "hold them accountable" for the policy shift.