“New York Attorney General Letitia James today led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from unlawfully cutting off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for tens of thousands of lawful permanent residents. Attorney General James and the coalition are seeking to block new guidance from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) that wrongly declares several groups of legal immigrants ineligible for food assistance, including permanent residents who were granted asylum or admitted as refugees. The attorneys general warn that the guidance would saddle states with catastrophic financial penalties unless they immediately implement the unlawful restrictions, and they are urging the court to strike down the guidance before it can cause lasting harm,” says the newly-acquitted and totally, completely exonerated New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement on Wednesday.

“‘The federal government’s shameful quest to take food away from children and families continues,’ said Attorney General James. ‘USDA has no authority to arbitrarily cut entire groups of people out of the SNAP program, and no one should go hungry because of the circumstances of their arrival to this country. My office will always fight to protect Americans’ SNAP benefits, and I will do everything in my power to shield New Yorkers from this unlawful policy.’ On Oct 31, USDA issued new guidance to state SNAP agencies describing changes under the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ which narrowed eligibility for certain non-citizen groups, including refugees, asylum recipients, and others admitted under humanitarian protection programs. The memo went far beyond the statute Congress enacted, however, asserting that anyone who entered through these humanitarian pathways would remain permanently ineligible for SNAP, even after becoming lawful permanent residents.”