Why Should Delaware Care?
Misconceptions about who is receiving federal food benefits, known as food stamps, have been prevalent online in recent weeks amid a government shutdown. The program serves more than 40 million people. Nearly 90% of those beneficiaries are native-born Americans and 96% are citizens, according to fiscal year 2023 USDA data.
The political standoff over federal spending that caused the government to shutdown in past weeks also sparked a parallel debate online over who receives food stamps today.
The answer is that U.S. citizens account for about 96% of people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, according to recent federal statistics. Green Card holders and refugees are among the remainder of the recipients.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive SNAP benefits, though the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes in a report that they “may be non-participating members of SNAP households.”
U.S. citizen children of undocumented immigrants are eligible to receive benefits, if they qualify.
An online debate over program eligibility emerged just as federal food benefits across the country — including for about 110,000 Delawareans — were disrupted during the final days of a federal government shutdown in November. The disruption occurred even as Gov. Matt Meyer pledged to fund the program with state money, and as the Trump administration ultimately agreed to partially fund benefits amid the government shutdown.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed a government funding package, ending the longest shutdown in U.S. history. SNAP money is expected to be released to 42 million low-income Americans soon.
During the shutdown, however, misconceptions about who is eligible to receive SNAP benefits swirled in the national conversation, particularly around undocumented immigrants. In October, Newsmax, a conservative news channel, claimed that 59% of all undocumented immigrants were receiving SNAP benefits.
And earlier this year, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins directed senior staff within her agency, which oversees SNAP, to clamp down on the federal program to ensure that no undocumented immigrants were receiving benefits.
But undocumented immigrants have never been eligible to receive SNAP benefits.
Undocumented immigrants also cannot receive Medicaid, except in emergency situations, such as childbirth.
Here are some clarifications:
What is the overall eligibility factor?
Eligibility for Delaware’s Food Supplement Program is based on factors such as who lives and eats together, relationship in the home and household income.
All children who are 21 or younger and live with their parents must apply for food benefits with their parents. Applications for the Food Supplement Program must be U.S. citizens or eligible aliens to qualify.
Individuals who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, General Assistance or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) do not need to meet an income test to receive food benefits.
The maximum gross monthly income limit for most households is set at 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Currently, there is no resource test for most households that meet the 200% FPL maximum gross monthly income limit.
What are the income limits?
| Household Size | Maximum Gross Monthly Income 200% FPL | Elderly / Disabled Separate Household 165% FPL | Gross Monthly Income Limit 130% FPL | Net Monthly Income Limit 100% FPL | Maximum Monthly Benefit Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,610 | $2,152 | $1,696 | $1,305 | $298 |
| 2 | $3,526 | $2,909 | $2,292 | $1,763 | $546 |
| 3 | $4,442 | $3,665 | $2,888 | $2,221 | $785 |
| 4 | $5,360 | $4,421 | $3,483 | $2,680 | $994 |
| 5 | $6,276 | $5,177 | $4,079 | $3,138 | $1,183 |
| 6 | $7,192 | $5,934 | $4,675 | $3,596 | $1,421 |
| 7 | $8,110 | $6,690 | $5,271 | $4,055 | $1,571 |
| 8 | $9,026 | $7,446 | $5,867 | $4,513 | $1,789 |
| *For each additional person add |
Can authorized immigrants receive benefits?
In July, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 that further restricted what categories of authorized immigrants are eligible for SNAP benefits. Some groups of authorized immigrants are still eligible to receive SNAP benefits if they fall into a handful of buckets.
Benefits are now only available to certain immigrants from Cuba and Haiti, people living in the U.S. under a Compact of Free Association, known as “COFA citizens,” and lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders.
Green card holders must also wait for a period of five years before they can become eligible to receive SNAP.
Which lawful immigrants were excluded from SNAP under the new law?
Unless they become Green Card holders, the following groups of previously eligible lawful immigrants are now ineligible to receive SNAP benefits after the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this summer:
- Refugees, asylees and people granted withholding of deportation
- Domestic violence survivors who are self-petitioners under the Violence Against Women Act
- Certain survivors of trafficking and their family members
- Hmong or Highland Laotian tribal members
- Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrants (SIVs)
- Certain Afghan and Ukrainian parolees