In a welcome move to uphold the rule of law and protect taxpayer resources, Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has taken decisive action to prevent illegal aliens from accessing food stamps. At a time when hardworking American families are struggling to make ends meet, the Trump administration is cracking down on illegal immigrants taking advantage of the government.
The Department of Agriculture is working with a February executive order from the Trump administration to ensure illegal aliens are not gaming the system and buying groceries with food stamps that are supposed to go to Americans. The order seeks ways to improve methods of checking that those in the country illegally do not receive federal benefits, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
A USDA memo made clear that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is not and will never be available to illegal immigrants. Officials said that they wanted to ensure that U.S. tax dollars do not fund SNAP benefits to illegal immigrants.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Rollins said that arrests have already been made in Minnesota, New York, and Colorado. She said that the department is going to be aggressive in cracking down on illegal immigrants scamming the U.S.
“The president's vision to ensure that we're being the most efficient and effective with taxpayer dollars,” Rollins said. “So, we think we'll be able to cut down on billions of fraud and save the taxpayers a lot of money.”
To prevent illegal aliens from accessing SNAP benefits, Secretary Rollins announced that the USDA is directing states to verify applicants' Social Security numbers against the death master file and to use the Department of Homeland Security’s free Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to confirm the immigration status of non-citizens applying for aid, along with other measures to tighten eligibility checks.
In a letter to SNAP agencies, John Walk, acting deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, emphasized that, by law, only U.S. citizens can receive SNAP benefits. He cited the 1996 welfare reform law to ensure illegal aliens don’t rely on public assistance.