The recent federal government shutdown was a harrowing experience for people facing food insecurity. Beginning on Nov. 1, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — formerly known as food stamps — lapsed for the first time in U.S. history. For some of the 42 million SNAP recipients, benefits did not resume until the week before Thanksgiving.
Many assume that with the government reopened, life has largely returned to normal for SNAP recipients. Unfortunately, another — and potentially more devastating — crisis looms. On Dec. 1, new rules governing SNAP took effect, including the outright elimination of benefits for refugees, asylees and many other legal immigrants on the path to citizenship.
Under these changes, the only noncitizens who will remain eligible for SNAP are green card holders, along with certain migrants from Cuba, Haiti, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. Stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law earlier this year, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 90,000 legal immigrants and refugees nationwide will lose the food assistance they depend on each month.
Jewish United Fund stands at the intersection of the two issues at the heart of this crisis: helping Chicagoans avoid hunger and caring for refugees and other humanitarian immigrants. For nearly 50 years, JUF has administered the state of Illinois’ Refugee Support Services Program, supporting the local agencies that carry out the day-to-day work of serving refugees. Through this work, we help ensure that agencies serving nearly 11,000 refugees annually in Illinois can provide people with the assistance they need.
Setting aside the political debates around SNAP, we want to underscore the real-world implications of this policy change: The people affected by these new rules are legal immigrants and individuals fleeing war, political persecution and other hardships who have sought safety here under the long-held values and laws of our country. They include thousands of Ukrainians in Illinois who escaped Russia’s assault on their homeland. Furthermore, despite misinformation circulating in public discourse, undocumented immigrants have never been eligible for SNAP.
Thousands of legal immigrants and refugees may lose nearly $200 a month in food assistance. Many already face language, cultural and bureaucratic barriers that make navigating government programs difficult under the best circumstances. Conflicting guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture has added to the confusion and chaos as newly affected households try to understand what these changes mean for them.
To its credit, the state of Illinois has joined a lawsuit that would ensure that all immigrants who are lawfully eligible for benefits are able to do so, and the Illinois Department of Human Services indicated this week that the state will not at this time implement the eligibility changes affecting noncitizens. While this is a welcome development, these vulnerable people nonetheless remain in a highly precarious situation, and the state’s decision represents a temporary fix at best — and it remains unclear how the state will pay for those benefits. It also does not resolve the confusion and fear that immigrants and refugees are experiencing.
What can be done?
In this moment of spiraling need, JUF reaffirms our commitment to caring for refugees and immigrants in Illinois with essential services including vocational support, health and human services and other basic needs, as do many of our partner agencies.
The Dina and Eli Field EZRA Multi-Service Center is one example. EZRA operates a client-choice food pantry and the Uptown Cafe, serving people of all faiths, including immigrants and refugees. HIAS Immigration & Citizenship, part of JCFS Chicago, has pledged to match any SNAP benefits stripped from refugees under the new eligibility rules. This commitment extends to every refugee resettled by the agency for one year following the suspension of their benefits, until they secure permanent resident status, or benefits are reinstated.
We are proud to stand alongside partner agencies and peer organizations across Chicago, each committed to ensuring that our neighbors do not go hungry. These organizations represent a broad coalition of civic, faith-based and community-led efforts. At this critical moment, they, too, would benefit greatly from the time, talents and resources of Chicagoans who feel moved to help ensure that families in our city have enough to eat.
This commitment reflects not only Jewish values, which call upon us to welcome the stranger, but also the values we share as Chicagoans and Americans: compassion, opportunity and the belief that people who contribute to our communities should not struggle to feed their families. Immigrants and refugees have long played a vital role in strengthening Chicago’s economy and cultural fabric. Supporting them in times of need is a reflection of our national character, not a partisan position.
This is a moment to remember that many of us are descended from people who once arrived in this country seeking safety and opportunity. But remembering is not enough. Now is the time for each of us to act.
Alison Bell, Ph.D., is the assistant vice president for refugee services at Jewish United Fund. Heidi Kon, LCSW, is director of the Dina and Eli Field EZRA Multi-Service Center.
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