Illinois is among a group of Democratic states suing the Trump administration, seeking to block a change to the federal food stamps program that the states say unlawfully prevented some legal immigrants from accessing the aid.
Kwame Raoul, Illinois’ top lawyer, and attorneys general from 20 other states and Washington, D.C., filed the lawsuit Wednesday in an Oregon federal court against the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its secretary, Brooke Rollins, asking the court to block the change’s implementation.
State officials allege the USDA issued illegal guidance for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which made some immigrants, including those who were admitted as refugees or granted asylum, ineligible for the food aid — even after they obtained permanent residency.
“The SNAP program is the country’s most important anti-hunger program, providing access to food for millions of families while supporting local grocers and merchants who are critical to our state’s economy,” Raoul said in a statement. “The USDA’s new eligibility guidance violates the law and harms the state’s ability to provide vital services to residents in need.”
The filing comes after the attorneys general raised the issue in a letter to Rollins. Raoul said the USDA has not responded.
A spokesperson for the USDA said Wednesday the department would not comment on pending litigation. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the filing, the attorneys general argue that the guidance contradicts federal law and would impose high financial costs on the states, as they are now required to make additional, last-minute changes to how they distribute SNAP benefits.
The filing also suggests that the USDA did not give the usual 120-day grace period to the states to implement the guidance.
The lawsuit comes after a record-breaking federal government shutdown paused November’s payments to recipients by several weeks, and Illinois previously joined a coalition of states to sue the Trump administration to release the full benefits.
The federal government funnels about $350 million to Illinois each month for the SNAP program. Nearly 2 million people in the state rely on the food aid.