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.
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sits for an interview with Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier April 8, 2025. (Fox News/Special Report)
“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.”
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“So, we think we’ll be able to cut down on billions of fraud and save the taxpayers a lot of money,” she said.
John Walk, acting deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, wrote in a letter Thursday to state SNAP agencies, explaining the existing law.
“By law, only United States citizens and certain lawfully present aliens may receive SNAP benefits. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) established that ‘aliens within the Nation’s borders not depend on public resources to meet their needs.’ SNAP is not and has never been available to illegal aliens,” Walk wrote.
