Washington (AP) – 20 State General Attorney -General Coalition on Monday filed a lawsuit arguing that Trump’s administration claims that their states would transfer personal data on people included in a federal funded food support program fearing that information would be used to help mass deportations.
The demand for data arises when the Trump’s administration sought to collect private information about the most lower income people who may be illegally in the country. She has already ordered the Internal Income Service and Medicare and Medicaid service centers to share private information with the Homeland Security Department to help deport.
The US Department of Agriculture told states last week that until Wednesday, it had to transfer data to those involved in its additional nutritional nutrition program, or Snap, serving more than 42 million people across the country. USDA said the data will help them fight waste, fraud and abuse.
The states of the state seek prohibition of blocking data transmission. Meanwhile, the State Prosecutors, when submitting a Snap claim, said they would not disclose what they believe were private information, including their immigration status, date of birth and home addresses -because they think it would be a violation of privacy laws.
“It’s the worst bait and switching,” the California Attorney General Rob Bonta said at a press conference on Monday afternoon. “Snap recipients provided this information to receive assistance in feeding their families so that they are not included in the Government Tracking Database or used as goals on the president’s inhuman immigration agenda.”
May The department has announced that it is seeking data as President Donald Trump’s executive order to obtain data from state programs to help eradicate fraud and waste. “For many years, this program is carried out by Autopilot without USDA insight into real-time data,” said USDA Secretary Brooke L. Rollins in that time. “The department is focused on proper and legitimate participation,
USDA officials refused to comment on the claim.
USDA did not mention an immigration in a report or later in the reports. It is unclear why USDA officials believe that data will help them eradicate fraud and abuse. The agency says the program is already “one of the strictest quality control systems in the Federal Government”.
Proponents of immigration noted that Trump’s administration used the same argument to obtain other non -published data, only to acknowledge it later to use information to increase its deportation operations. For example, Trump’s administration officials initially said they were seeking state Medicaid data to combat fraud. Last week, the highest immigration officer acknowledged that they would use the same information to find immigrants.
Agency officials threatened to arrest Snap funding if the states do not comply with the need for their data.
Although immigrants who have no legal status cannot receive Snap benefits, they can apply for their children who are US citizens or those who are a mixed status household.
According to the program, previously known as food stamps, the Federal Government pays 100% food benefits, but states help to cover administrative costs. States are also responsible for whether individuals can receive benefits and to issue these benefits to students.
Proponents of immigration and data privacy have expressed anxiety about Trump’s administration’s efforts to obtain non -disclosure of Snap data supported by states.
“The administration told us that their intention is to comb this data and use it for illegal purposes that include immigration,” said Madeline Wiseman, a national student legal defense lawyer who May. Filed a lawsuit for privacy and hunger assistance groups, which also challenge USDA efforts for Snap data.
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