SNAP Cutoffs Hit Illinois Refugees as New Rules Take Effect

Overview

• The change to SNAP rules took effect in Illinois on April 1, limiting which immigrants qualify and putting up to 16,000 people at risk of losing benefits, state officials said.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed a pause on green card adjudications for immigrants from countries it deems high risk, giving no timeline to resume and blocking many refugees from gaining the status now required for SNAP.
• Resettlement groups report steep losses ahead, with RefugeeOne expecting 175 families they serve to lose aid and World Relief Chicagoland projecting more than 300, and both are distributing grocery gift cards and directing clients to food pantries.
• Advocates including the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Latino Policy Forum are pressing Illinois lawmakers for a pending bill that would provide cash aid to immigrants cut off from SNAP.
• Families describe immediate strain on budgets and schooling plans, with one Syrian mother in Chicago preparing to take a job sooner and pause GED studies to replace about $635 a month in lost food support.