SNAP cuts and fears hit Bay Area immigrant families

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The Weekly Dispatch

Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area.

Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerstein, senior immigration, labor and economics reporter.

Everyone needs food to survive. But as the Trump administration expands its immigration crackdown, it’s becoming harder for some immigrant families to access programs that have long helped low-income Californians put food on the table.

The barriers are largely due to two factors: fear and policy change. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” President Trump signed in July makes sweeping cuts to the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, including changes that disqualify immigrants with humanitarian protections from enrolling in food stamps. At the same time, ICE raids are intensifying anxieties among immigrant families who are eligible for food assistance.

In today’s edition, we’re looking at how the Trump administration is impacting immigrants’ access to food benefits in the Bay Area – and the strategies local food banks are using to make sure families worried about seeking support still get the food they need.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill”

Trump’s landmark legislation will dramatically reduce federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation will cut SNAP funding by roughly $186 billion over the next decade. In California, that could mean a $3.5 billion annual drop in federal funding for CalFresh.

These are the largest cuts in the food stamp program’s history, and advocates warn they’ll deepen financial insecurity in a state where one in five people already struggle to put food on the table.

In the East Bay, thousands of residents are at risk of losing some of their CalFresh benefits. According to data from the California Department of Social Services, 176,000 people in Alameda County and 110,000 people in Contra Costa County are currently receiving CalFresh — the highest amount enrolled in either county over the last decade. Enrollment has been steadily rising over the past year, a trend advocates expect to reverse once the cuts take hold.

“Hunger is about to get worse. Way worse,” the Alameda County Food Bank wrote after the bill passed. “Many people will lose access to SNAP.”

Among those already losing access: tens of thousands of immigrants in California with legal status to remain in the U.S. The legislation strips SNAP benefits from most immigrants granted humanitarian protections, such as refugees and asylees, who were previously eligible for food stamps. The California Department of Social Services estimates that this will impact about 74,000 people in California.

The timeline for carrying out this provision is still unclear. While it technically took effect the day Trump signed the bill, counties are still waiting on guidance from the Department of Agriculture about how to enact the changes.

When they are implemented, services providers expect to see local impacts. Caitlin Sly, the president of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, said the organization helps immigrants with humanitarian protections who are at risk of losing benefits under the bill. “It’s really difficult because it’s some of the most in need folks that are being affected by that policy change,” Sly said.

How local food banks are navigating growing immigration fears

The cuts are only part of the picture. Anti-hunger advocates are also worried about the role fear is playing in keeping eligible families away from food assistance.

While undocumented immigrants can’t receive CalFresh, parents without legal status can apply for benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born children. But some mixed-status households are choosing not to, worried it could draw attention to undocumented family members.

This “chilling effect” was a hallmark of the first Trump administration: Undocumented parents were deterred from applying for benefits on behalf of their U.S. citizen children. “Which is a huge problem for the children that are impacted or anybody else in mixed-status households,” said Monica Saucedo, a senior policy fellow with the California Budget and Policy Center.

Fueling immigrants’ fears today are multiple data sharing requests between the Trump administration and federal agencies. The administration has already asked the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as the Internal Revenue Service, to share enrollee and taxpayer data with ICE. And it’s now embroiled in litigation over a recent request that states provide SNAP user data — including immigration statuses and Social Security numbers — to build a nationwide database of food stamp recipients. Many are worried that this arrangement will expose mixed-status households to immigration enforcement.

“This is a huge issue with trust,” Saucedo said. “People go to the agencies and provide a lot of personal information with the understanding that it’s provided in order for them to receive assistance, not to be shared with others.”

These developments have left many immigrants uncertain about the safety of seeking food support. In Contra Costa and Solano counties, Sly said, immigration fears are pushing some eligible families to skip benefits altogether. “We’re having more and more folks that are turning to us as their sole source of food because they’re afraid to get CalFresh,” she said. “We’ve definitely seen a drop in folks that we’re helping to get on benefits.” Since January, the food bank has seen a 17% decrease in new CalFresh applications, a likely result of the administration’s immigration crackdown.

The lower CalFresh use doesn’t always translate into higher turnout at food distributions. Staff at the food bank have also seen dips in attendance when ICE raids dominate the news. For people who are afraid of leaving the house, the group has set up set refrigerated lockers across Contra Costa County where people can privately pick up groceries instead of going to a food bank distribution. (Those interested can type in their address and search for locations here.)

Liz Gomez, who oversees CalFresh outreach at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, said the organization has been fielding calls from people worried about the cuts and how they will affect eligibility. A handful of people have even called to cancel CalFresh applications due to concerns about their personal information being shared with immigration officials.

“We usually don’t get that type of call,” she said. “Once they’ve reached out to the food bank, which in some cases is the hardest part, we don’t tend to get calls back saying, ‘I’ve changed my mind.’ And unfortunately, it is something we are starting to see now.”

Like its neighbors, the Alameda County food bank also offers a secure system for people hesitant to leave home. People can request a screening to enroll in a program that delivers food directly to their homes. (You can find more information about the service here.)

The goal of these services, Sly said, is to reassure immigrant community members that despite the national climate, safe options are still available. “We are very proud of the fact that we’ve been around for 50 years,” she said. “We’ve been supporting folks in need, regardless of immigration status, for that entire time. And we don’t plan on changing that.”

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and see you next week.

P.S.: If you are based in Contra Costa or Alameda Counties and work with asylees and refugees who are impacted by the bill’s cuts to SNAP and health care, I want to hear from you. Please contact me at ehellerstein@eltimpano.org.

— Erica Hellerstein

Ear to the Ground

El Tímpano’s text messaging (SMS) service reaches more than 6,000 Spanish-speaking immigrants across the Bay Area. This week, we asked subscribers about their experience with CalFresh or how they prioritize their food spending if they aren’t eligible. Here are a few of their responses:

I receive CalFresh and depend on this service every month. The program helps me a lot, and I always buy vegetables, beef/chicken, and some things for my pantry. No one can survive on CalFresh alone, so I also go to the food bank at least once a week. I already know the lowest prices for any food I need and where I can find it.

Yo recibo CalFresh y estoy dependiente en este servicio cada mes. Me ayuda muchísimo el programa y siempre compro verduras, carne de res/pollo, y algunas cosas para mi pantry. Nadie puede sobrevivir solamente con CalFresh, por eso también voy al banco de comida una vez por semana mínimo. Ya se los precios más económicos de cualquier comida que necesito y adonde puedo encontrar la comida.

—Penngrove resident

I’m not receiving CalFresh. I have two children, and not having this resource is putting me behind on my bills.

No estoy recibiendo CalFresh. Tengo 2 niños y no tener este recurso me atrasa en las facturas.

—San Leandro resident

I have CalFresh. It helps me a lot to buy food. I’m not working; I applied and received the card.

Yo estoy usando CalFresh. Me ayuda mucho para comprar mis alimentos. No estoy trabajando, apliqué y me llegó la tarjeta.

—Oakland resident

From the El Tímpano Newsroom

The chilling effects of policies that use fear to keep low-income immigrants from accessing food assistance and health care can last for years. In this archival story from Sept 2024, reporter Jasmine Aguilera joins outreach workers as they try to persuade newly eligible immigrants to enroll in Medi-Cal, despite lingering fears from the first Trump administration.

Lingering fears over past immigration policies are fueling a reluctance to enroll in Medi-Cal

Though the Trump-era public charge rule is no longer in place, it’s left people wary of signing up for newly expanded health benefits.

Stories we’re Following

Resource of the Week

There are numerous banks that provide food to immigrants across the Bay Area regardless of their immigration status. Our Spanish-language resource guide provides information on how to access free food, and a list of local organizations that operate pantries and food distributions. You can check it out here.

Do you know families who could benefit from these events? We’d appreciate if you shared our guide with them and let them know they can text us any questions at (510) 800-8305.

Questions and feedback? Tips for newsroom stories? Reach out ehellerstein@eltimpano.org.

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