'Absolutely alarming': Critics say Trump building 'surveillance weapon' for poor Americans

09 May

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts inside the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura

The Department of Agriculture is reportedly asking states to supply personal details of people receiving food aid, including Social Security numbers, addresses and, in at least one state, citizenship status.

NPR reported Friday that the information collected has been used to disseminate false accusations regarding undocumented immigrants receiving public assistance and engaging in fraud, as well as to bolster enforcement and deportation initiatives.

The report states that NPR acquired emails indicating that the nationwide guidance for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was issued in response to a request from federal auditors for information that included citizenship details. The request did not encompass other data usually used to confirm financial eligibility for the program.

In a letter dated May 6 addressed to all states, an advisor for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services stated that the federal agency would be collecting personally identifiable information from SNAP applicants and recipients, including, but not limited to, "names, dates of birth, personal addresses used, and Social Security numbers" dating back to January 1, 2020.

The letter referenced President Donald Trump's March 20 executive order, "Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos," which mandates that agencies ensure the federal government "has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all state programs that receive federal funding," including data from "third-party databases," to help identify fraud.

DOGE has faced backlash for retrieving sensitive information across various federal agencies in recent months by citing allegations of wasteful and fraudulent spending.

Jon Davisson, senior counsel and director of litigation at the nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center, told NPR the demands are "absolutely alarming."

"It is an unprecedented extension of the administration's campaign to consolidate personal data," he said, adding that the database could be used as a "surveillance weapon" that "can be put to all sorts of adverse uses in the future."

The NPR report notes that in 2024, the Department of Agriculture reported that SNAP assisted an average of 42 million individuals each month, costing approximately $100 billion.

Eligibility for SNAP benefits is limited to certain categories of lawfully present noncitizens, while those lacking legal status are ineligible. But a noncitizen parent without legal status can still apply for assistance to support their U.S. citizen children.

AlterNet reached out to a DOGE spokesperson for comment.

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