Immigrants lose access to food aid in more states, as federal restrictions take effect
Harvest Public Media | By Anna Pope
Published March 30, 2026 at 4:00 AM CDT
Refugees and other immigrants are no longer eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as states implement a federal rule change. The restriction is one of many moves that has made it harder for immigrants to access federal benefits.
Recent changes to federal food aid mean some immigrants have been cut off from grocery assistance payments.
Refugees, asylum seekers and human trafficking survivors without a green card are among the noncitizen groups who are no longer eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, under President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
The restrictions technically went into effect last year, when Congress and President Trump approved the legislation in July. But states have been implementing the changes on different timelines over the past handful of months.
Last year, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said the eligibility changes aim to reduce “fraud and waste” in the program.
https://www.kmuw.org/2026-03-30/immigrants-food-aid-in-federal-restrictions-snap
