Attorney General James sues over federal demand for SNAP data

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a new lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday to protect private information from millions of New Yorkers relying on food stamps. James joined the attorneys general from California and Michigan to announce their challenge to a federal demand for sensitive personal data from recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

SNAP helps families, seniors, children, and people in crisis afford food. According to James, 2.9 million New Yorkers use SNAP every day. Now, the Department of Agriculture under President Donald Trump requires states to hand over the names, Social Security numbers, home addresses, and immigration statuses for all SNAP recipients dating back to 2020. James, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta said they’re supposed to hand over that information by August.

According to James, the demand for this data is “flat out illegal.” She argued that federal law prohibits New York from sharing that data except for facilitating food aid, and that the current demand doesn’t meet that requirement. “They are basically trying to weaponize the SNAP program against immigrant communities in violation of the law,” James said during the press conference. She pointed out that the USDA website had even erased language promising SNAP applicants that submitting their information wouldn’t earn any immigration consequences.

The feds claim they need that data to prevent fraud and abuse in SNAP. But James called that claim a pretext. “This is really all about immigration enforcement. This is all about advancing the agenda of the president of these United States,” she said. “He has this animus against immigrants and undocumented individuals.”

James said that undocumented immigrants generally can’t receive federal SNAP benefits, with exceptions for refugees and asylum seekers. She also explained that federal immigration policies and litigation create a chilling effect on immigrant communities, causing irreparable harm. “No one should fear for their safety when they seek food assistance for their families,” she said.

As of press time, the lawsuit has not been filed. James, Bonta, and Nessel said that their legal actions against the federal government under Trump often fall into four categorical arguments:

• Violating the Administrative Procedure Act, the Spending Clause, and the 10th Amendment
• Withholding federal funding already promised and approved
• Violating fundamental constitutional rights like birthright citizenship or voting rights
• Reductions in force will impact state economies