Los Angeles County will either initiate or join pending legal actions challenging federal order requiring disclosure of personal data — including Social Security numbers — of people applying for a federal food program, the Board of Supervisors decided Tuesday.
The board approved a motion by Supervisor Hilda Solis to challenge the order handed down by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a requirement that many have seen as an effort to root out people who are living in the country illegally and opening them to being targeted by immigration enforcement agents.
“The county of Los Angeles, as the safety net for our most vulnerable communities, has a duty to uphold its promise to protect the privacy of its residents,” Solis said in a statement. “It’s clear that while our federal government seeks to further erode public trust, we must stay united and ensure that every resident, regardless of immigration status, is able to safely access the essential services they have a legal right to.”
The USDA issued its order earlier this year, requiring that states turn over personal data about people applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The information includes names, Social Security numbers and addresses. States that refuse to provide the information could have their federal funding for the program cut.
According to Solis, nearly 1.5 million people in the county receive SNAP benefits. She noted that the recipients include some non-citizens, as well as some parents who are applying for the benefits on behalf of their U.S. citizen children.
The state of California is one of 22 states that has sued the federal government in opposition to the data requirement.
The Trump administration has insisted that collecting such data is critical to prevent waste and fraud in federally funded programs. The administration has also worked to gather such information to share with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is charged with carrying out Trump’s vow to carry out the largest deportation program in history.