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'We're going to be extremely, extremely aggressive,' Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News Digital
The United States Department of Agriculture is demanding that states ensure illegal immigrants are not using food stamps.
The department wants states to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order from February that seeks improved methods to check that those in the country illegally do not receive federal benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
The measure is meant to crack down on fraud and serve as a safeguard because illegal immigrants are already not allowed to use SNAP benefits. Only citizens and some legal noncitizens can do so.
"We've already made arrests in Minnesota and New York and Colorado, and we're just getting started," Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"We're going to be extremely, extremely aggressive. Now, hopefully it acts as a deterrent also."
The USDA is asking states to cross-check Social Security numbers with a death master file and to use the free Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system provided by the Department of Homeland Security for noncitizens applying for the benefits, among other steps to verify immigration status.
Rollins said it's "the president's vision to ensure that we're being the most efficient and effective with taxpayer dollars." --->READ MORE HERE
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued new guidance to state agencies regarding the dissemination of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to illegal immigrants.
Newsweek reached out to the USDA for comment via email.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has made a series of efforts to clamp down on undocumented migrants accessing federal benefits. In an executive order issued on February 19, the president directed federal agencies to "enhance eligibility verification systems, to the maximum extent possible, to ensure that taxpayer funded benefits exclude any ineligible alien."
SNAP benefits are paid to low- and no-income households across the United States that would otherwise struggle to afford groceries. The program reached some 41 million Americans in 2024. Under current USDA rules, SNAP "is not and has never been available to undocumented non-citizens."
What To Know
USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Acting Deputy Under Secretary John Walk have issued guidance to state SNAP agencies, directing them to enhance identity and immigration verification practices when determining eligibility for the anti-hunger benefit. SNAP is funded by the federal government but administered by state agencies.
These have been instructed to "carefully examine their identity and immigration status verification practices and make necessary enhancements," including verifying the identity of applicants by collecting and comparing Social Security numbers and checking the immigration status of recipients. --->READ MORE HEREFollow link below to a relevant story:
+++++USDA Makes It Tougher for Illegals to Get Food Stamps+++++
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