Camilla Forte/Borderless Magazine/Catchlight Local/Report for AmericaOfficials are working to connect individuals with food assistance as over 340,000 Illinois residents — including 14,000 legally present immigrants with humanitarian protections — could lose SNAP benefits amid new eligibility changes.
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Mohamad is up every morning by 6 a.m.
He wants to make sure he has enough time to get his three children ready for school before his long commute to his job at O’Hare. Mohamad asked only to be referred to by his first name, to protect his identity and privacy.
The single father and refugee from Myanmar/Burma, who resettled in Chicago in 2024, takes three buses and a train to get to work each morning.
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But as a cabin cleaner for an airline at O’Hare, where hours are unpredictable and uncertain, it’s difficult for him to juggle fatherhood and the pressures of making ends meet for his family. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps feed his family at times when he spends more than he earns.
“I have a lot of stress and concerns,” Mohamad said.
But Mohamad is now one of thousands of Illinois refugees who are at risk of losing access to SNAP benefits, as new eligibility changes for SNAP take effect as soon as this month, following President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
“It is very hard for me,” Mohamad said.
A changing program
In recent months, Mohamad was still getting his bearings after the government shutdown, which temporarily left him without benefits. Now, the changes to the program bring another set of challenges.
The Trump administration announced in November that SNAP would be cut off as a part of the record-long government shutdown, which halted SNAP benefits for Americans across the country for weeks.
Beginning April 1, those on SNAP with humanitarian protections — including refugees and asylees — will no longer be eligible for SNAP benefits. However, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is not currently implementing these federal changes in Illinois.
“Illinois joined a group of other states in suing to halt any changes to noncitizen eligibility for SNAP,” IDHS said in a statement. “Recent federal guidance on noncitizen recipients of SNAP has been so unclear that it was not possible for Illinois to proceed with changing eligibility […]”
But Mohamad, still without a green card, fears he may eventually lose benefits due to this potential change.
“Compounding this strain is the fact that the administration has stopped processing green cards for many refugees, leaving little hope on the horizon for receiving a green card and the SNAP food assistance it can unlock,” said Sally Schulze, communications manager at RefugeeOne.
On Saturday, a new change kicked in, requiring able-bodied adults without dependents between the ages of 18 and 64 to work or volunteer a minimum of 80 hours per month or volunteer with an approved work program, to qualify for SNAP benefits.
Adults who do not meet the new work requirements may only get SNAP for three months in a three-year period. But on May 1, those who do not qualify for an exemption, and who have received SNAP for three months, will lose benefits.
An individual may be exempt if they are:
- Unable to work due to a physical or mental limitation;
- Pregnant or have a dependent under the age of 14;
- The main caretaker of a disabled or incapacitated person;
- The main caretaker of a child under the age of 6 who lives outside the home;
- Enrolled in a school or training program at least half-time;
- Enrolled in a drug or alcohol program;
- Applied for or currently receiving unemployment benefits;
- Or work at least 30 hours per week or make at least $935 per month.
This means that over 340,000 people in Illinois could lose food benefits if they cannot meet work requirements or qualify for an exemption, and about 14,000 legally present immigrants with humanitarian protections are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits due to eligibility changes, according to IDHS.
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“[Changes] will also impact immigrants who fled violence or disaster – people who should never be punished by hunger for seeking safety,” President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Toni Preckwinkle said in a press conference on Jan. 21.
To address these potential changes, Cook County Health said in a statement that it is working closely with patients to connect them with food pantries and community partners to provide them with food assistance and eligible public and nonprofit resources.
Lasting effects
Mohamad began receiving SNAP benefits in December 2024, amounting to $740 per month. He typically spends $1200 per month on groceries for himself and his three kids.
He uses his SNAP funds to buy everyday necessities and groceries to feed his family, but jokes his children prefer fast food to his home-cooked meals.
“I am putting myself second,” he said. “I am prioritizing my children first. I am thinking about how I can fulfill their goals and how I can make their life better.”
Mohamad has since been leaning on support from local food pantries, like ones within the Islamic Circle of North America Chicago (ICNA), and refugee-support organizations like RefugeeOne.
“As SNAP benefits are disrupted, we see the impact immediately,” ICNA Relief said in a statement. “For newly arrived refugees, these disruptions often coincide with the early stages of resettlement – securing employment, housing and transportation — making the uncertainty around food access especially destabilizing.”
Immigrants impacted by these changes also rely on a network of food pantries by the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD).
“We believe that food is a basic human right for everyone, regardless of their background or status,” Mattson said.
Mohamad says he can’t help but continue living his life as normal.
He takes what he can get from these federal benefits to support himself and his children, despite ongoing uncertainties.
“I am just looking to fulfill my children’s needs.”
Tara Mobasher is Borderless Magazine’s newsletter writer and reporter. Email Tara at [email protected].
Aydali Campa contributed to this report.
