New federal food stamp rules take effect, leaving some NC immigrants without services

Thousands of immigrants in North Carolina can no longer get food stamps under new federal rules that took effect Sunday under a provision in President Donald Trump’s signature tax-and-spend legislation that was passed this summer.

The law amends the federal Food and Nutrition Act to restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program eligibility for noncitizens. 

Noncitizen groups that previously qualified for SNAP — including certain refugees, asylum-seekers, Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holders — are no longer automatically eligible based solely on their immigration status. Under the new law, they can become eligible if they obtain a green card. 

Some other groups are still eligible under previous rules. Among those eligible for SNAP benefits immediately: Cubans or Haitians who are in the U.S. legally and citizens of the Compact of Free Association, including people who have come to the U.S. from the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands or the Republic of Palau. 

Lawful permanent residents who hold green cards are also eligible, but some may be subject to a five‑year waiting period, unless they qualify for federal exemptions.

SNAP helps low-income families pay for groceries. The federal government pays for the benefits, but on the local level, state and county officials handle the applications and paperwork, according to Wake County officials.

About 1.4 million people in North Carolina use SNAP benefits, which includes more than 100,000 people across Durham, Wake, Orange, Chatham and Johnston counties. The new requirements may impact about 29,000 people currently receiving SNAP benefits across the state, according to state health officials.

In addition to changes in noncitizen eligibility, the federal law also affects work requirements for SNAP recipients. Adults without dependents are generally required to work, participate in a job training program or volunteer at least 20 hours per week to receive benefits for more than three months in a three-year period. 

“If they are no longer eligible for any of the reasons … we actually have to physically make contact with every client at the six-month period to verbally speak with them, to go over everything that they put in,” said Stantavia Wright, Wake County assistant division director of food nutrition services. 

Wright said the county will try to support people who no longer qualify under the new rules, including referring them to local food banks. A number of nonprofit organizations are also focused on helping people affected by the new rules. 

Ron Pringle, the chief executive of Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, said his organization would help anyone in need.

“Needing food, whether you're eligible or not, is where the food shuttle is,” Pringle said. “That’s the lane the food shuttle is in. We don’t ask any questions. If someone walks up and says, ‘I need food.’ We meet that immediate need first. Once we meet that need, then we can start talking about why you need food.”

The new federal policy applies to new SNAP applications and to recertifications for households currently receiving benefits. 

County social services offices are responsible for applying the new eligibility criteria during benefit renewals. Households that had current certification prior to Feb. 1, 2026, will continue under prior rules until their next scheduled recertification. 

The changes to SNAP eligibility are a part of a bigger push by the Trump Administration to tighten eligibility for federal benefit programs, a push he says is meant to slash government spending. 

In an executive order issued last year, Trump said his administration would “uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.” The order directed federal agencies to review public assistance programs and take steps to reduce what the administration described as fraud, waste and improper payments.

In April, the U.S. Department of Agriculture — which oversees SNAP — instructed states to strengthen eligibility verification and more strictly apply federal rules governing who qualifies for food assistance. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins previously said the guidance was intended to ensure consistent enforcement of federal law and prevent benefits from being issued to people who do not meet statutory eligibility requirements.

The changes quickly drew legal opposition. In November, a coalition of more than 20 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the USDA, arguing that the agency’s guidance unlawfully narrows eligibility by excluding refugees, asylum recipients and other humanitarian immigrants who had long qualified for SNAP under federal law. The states argued that the administration is misinterpreting congressional intent and cutting off food assistance to vulnerable populations who are lawfully present in the United States. 

In January, a judge allowed states to delay implementation of the new rules for noncitizens until April 9. North Carolina chose to enforce the restrictions starting Feb. 1, as originally prescribed by federal lawmakers. The law also increases state governments’ share of administrative costs from 50% to 75% and introduces a system where states are required to pay a percentage of the SNAP benefit costs if their systems aren’t efficient enough. 

Starting in 2027, the new law will require states to pay for up to 15% of SNAP benefit costs if administrators commit errors in more than 6% of cases. Some counties have error rates below that mark but others don’t, state officials told legislators at a recent hearing on the subject. North Carolina’s error rate for the 2024 fiscal year was 10.21% but is trending downward, officials said.