LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Attorney General Dana Nessel stated that noncitizens “are generally not eligible” for participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Nessel was part of a national legal effort to prevent the Donald Trump administration from getting personal information from states on participants in what used to be called the food stamps program.

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In her Sept. 19 press release, Nessel said the Trump administration could use the personal information in its immigration enforcement.

“While non-citizens are generally not eligible for SNAP benefits, federal law allows non-citizen parents to apply for SNAP benefits on behalf of their citizen children,” the state attorney general’s statement read.

However, the number of noncitizens in Michigan receiving SNAP benefits has increased dramatically.

There are 19,000 citizen children in Michigan living with a noncitizen receiving SNAP benefits in 2023. That’s according to the most recent data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Michigan’s noncitizens on SNAP increased from 20,000 in 2022 to 32,000 in 2023, a 60% increase. That’s the most recent data available on the citizenship status of SNAP beneficiaries. Overall, there are 1.4 million people in Michigan on food stamps. It costs $258.6 million a month in benefits.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that illegal immigrants are not eligible for the SNAP benefits.