Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a lawsuit to prevent the federal government from making changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that would remove food assistance for thousands of lawful permanent residents. The group seeks to block new guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which they say wrongly excludes several groups of legal immigrants, including those who were granted asylum or admitted as refugees.
“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,” said Raoul. “The USDA’s new eligibility guidance violates the law and harms the state’s ability to provide vital services to residents in need. I join my fellow attorneys general in asking the court to block this unlawful guidance and protect vulnerable families.”
On October 31, the USDA sent a memo to state SNAP agencies outlining changes under legislation known as “One Big Beautiful Bill.” This narrowed eligibility for certain non-citizen groups such as refugees, asylum recipients, and others admitted through humanitarian protection programs. According to the lawsuit, the USDA incorrectly stated that all individuals entering through these pathways would remain permanently ineligible for SNAP benefits even after becoming lawful permanent residents.
Last week, Raoul and other attorneys general requested clarification or withdrawal of this memo from federal officials, but have not received a response.
The coalition argues that this new guidance conflicts with federal law and could subject states to large financial penalties. Under existing rules, states are supposed to have 120 days after new guidance is issued before being penalized for errors during implementation. However, according to Raoul’s office, the USDA claims this grace period ended on November 1—just one day after issuing its memo—leaving no time for states to adapt their systems or retrain employees.
States had already started implementing statutory changes earlier in the year when this abrupt guidance forced them into an overnight overhaul of eligibility processes. The attorneys general warn that these rapid changes will likely cause confusion among families, increase wrongful terminations of benefits, damage public trust in government programs, and put states at risk of violating either federal law or facing significant financial liability.
The coalition is asking the court to vacate what they call unlawful guidance from USDA and block its enforcement so eligible families do not lose food assistance.
Other states joining Illinois in filing this lawsuit include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
