A federal judge appointed by former President Joe Biden struck a major blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to boot illegal immigrants off of food stamps by extending a deadline for states to put into effect new immigration-related eligibility restrictions for the SNAP program. The block allows states to skirt by hefty financial penalties that would have been applied had they failed to implement these restrictions by the original deadline.
U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai in Eugene, Oregon ruled in favor of a group of Democrat-led states, issuing an injunction that requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend the expiration date of a grace period for states to come into compliance with new restrictions for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from November 1 to April 9.
Judge Kasubhai commented on guidance from the USDA that was put out on October 31 concerning who is eligible to receive SNAP benefits, saying it led to “confusion” that prevented states from implementing the new restrictions. The guidance zeroed in on a provision contained in President Trump’s tax cuts and domestic policy law restricting SNAP benefits to citizens and lawful permanent residents.
According to Reuters, a total of 21 attorneys general from both states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit last month stating that the guidance violated the law by considering permanent residents who have been granted asylum or admitted into the country as refugees as being ineligible to receive food stamps.
The USDA fired back at the allegations, saying it never intended for the guidance to be taken further than the new eligibility restrictions contained in the law. A lawyer representing the Department of Justice commented on the matter saying that it was a “misunderstanding” by the states.
Just last week, the USDA decided to make some changes to the guidance, which Kasubhai stated fixed the issue. However, the agency is remaining firm on another related issue brought up by the states, the expiration date of the 120-day grace period for states to comply with the law’s provision, which they say ended on November 1, the day following the release of the initial guidance.
Following a four-hour hearing, Kasubhai said the USDA’s position on the matter was unlawful, contradicting previous practice, and would ultimately lead to severe damage to the states’ budgets if the grace period was not extended. “The inability to provide compliance in the time period in which they were forced to by virtue of the guidance contributed to an erosion of trust,” Kasubhai explained.
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The changes to the program’s eligibility were included as part of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law in July 2025, according to Courthouse News. Judge Kasubhai also said that the time that elapsed between the bill becoming law and the USDA’s guidance on October 31 was “further evidence of the lack of uniform communication” necessary for the agency to give states the correct amount of time to properly implement the changes.
The judge’s ruling extends the 120-day grace period to April 9, 2026, which gives states a total of four months to get things in order and comply with the law before facing harsh financial penalties.
“The holiday season is a time of kindness and generosity. Unfortunately, this president has decided to play the Grinch,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement concerning the matter. “That’s not what America stands for. As families struggle to make ends meet, we’re going to keep fighting for vital programs like SNAP that allow them to put food on the table — even when it means taking the president to court.”
Watch the woke Oregon AG describe his suit to protect food stamps for illegals here: