24 States Sued to Stop the Government From Sharing Welfare Recipients' Personal Data With Homeland Security. August 11 Is the Deadline.

On August 3, a coalition of 24 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed suit in federal court in Washington to block a rule scheduled to take effect August 11. The rule would allow the Administration for Children and Families to share personal data on recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families - including Social Security numbers, immigration status, and country of origin - with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies.

Who the Data Would Cover

TANF serves approximately 2.4 million people and is funded at roughly $16 billion annually. The program provides cash assistance to low-income families with children. According to the New Jersey Monitor, 95 percent of the children and 85 percent of the adults receiving TANF benefits are U.S. citizens. The complaint argues that the data-sharing rule would expose U.S. citizen benefit recipients to immigration enforcement data infrastructure.

What the States Are Arguing

New Jersey Attorney General Jen Davenport said the administration has tried to “weaponize every aspect of government as part of their reckless immigration enforcement efforts” and argued the rule would “obliterate” existing guardrails on sensitive personal data. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the administration “continues to break the law” to amass people’s personal information.

The lawsuit argues the rule exceeds federal authority and violates multiple federal privacy statutes. The states are seeking a preliminary injunction to block implementation before August 11.

What Happens Next

The federal court in Washington will decide whether to halt the data-sharing while the case proceeds. The August 11 effective date gives the court less than a week to act. For TANF recipients - the large majority of whom are U.S. citizens - the immediate consequence of the rule taking effect is that their personal data enters federal systems used for immigration enforcement.

References: States Sue to Stop Welfare Data From Reaching Homeland Security | States Sue Trump Administration Over Antipoverty Program Data