“Simply put, this plan negates the right to privacy for any of the tens of millions of Americans in need of food assistance during economic hardship,” the senators wrote. “We demand that USDA cease the unlawful compiling of sensitive and personally identifying information regarding American families under the guise of ‘defend[ing] against’ unsubstantiated allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse.”

The senators noted that the USDA identified “verifying eligibility based on immigration status” as one use of the data. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP benefits, and the recent passage of the Republican budget bill made additional groups of immigrants with legal authorization, such as refugees, ineligible. Yesterday, the Associated Press reported that the Department of Health and Human Services is now handing over data on Medicaid enrollees to Immigrant and Customs Enforcement.

The USDA first requested the SNAP data from the states in May, but then walked it back after a coalition of groups sued, claiming the law says the data must be maintained by the states and that the agency was violating federal privacy laws. Those groups are concerned about the data being used to track Americans based on characteristics like disabilities or gender identity. The lawsuit is ongoing, and yesterday, the groups requested a temporary restraining order in response to the USDA’s renewed effort. (Link to this post.)