A judge on Monday signed an order temporarily prohibiting the federal government from penalizing states that are offering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to families in need, including refugees or asylum-seekers.

The order came amid an ongoing court battle between President Donald Trump’s administration and attorneys general across the country related to SNAP following the longest government shutdown in history.

The shutdown upended SNAP assistance for millions of Americans for weeks. About 1.9 million Illinoisans are enrolled in the program.

In November, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 21 other AG offices sued the Trump administration after it attempted to cut off SNAP benefits for tens of thousands of lawful, permanent residents.

Monday’s order by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ensures that those vulnerable populations continue to receive food benefits.

“The SNAP program is the country’s most important anti-hunger program, providing access to food for millions of families while supporting local grocers and merchants who are critical to our state’s economy,” Raoul said in a news release. “I’m pleased with the court’s action, which will ensure that SNAP programs in Illinois and across the country will be able to continue providing food assistance to those in need this holiday season.”

Although the Trump administration on Dec. 10 issued new guidance, confirming that lawful permanent residents – including refugees and asylum-seekers – remain eligible for SNAP, the president has threatened to further target Democrat-led states with penalties.

The administration warned Dec. 2 that it will withhold money for administering SNAP food aid in most Democratic-controlled states starting this month unless those states provide information about people receiving the assistance, The Associated Press reported.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that the action is looming because those states are refusing to provide the data the department requested, such as the names and immigration status of aid recipients. She said the cooperation is needed to root out fraud in the program. Democratic states have sued to block the requirement, saying that they verify eligibility for SNAP beneficiaries and that they never share large swaths of sensitive program data with the federal government.

The federal government also has threatened states with millions of dollars in penalties, claiming that states were not entitled to a required “grace period” enabling them to properly implement the new guidance, even though the final guidance was not issued until Dec. 10.

In a statement to Shaw Local, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services – which administers SNAP – said Trump’s budget bill was “designed to deliberately prevent Americans and Illinoisans” from receiving needed assistance due to new requirements.

New work requirements for SNAP users could affect 340,000 Illinoisans, according to the department.

“In addition, approximately 14,000 legally present immigrants who have been granted official humanitarian protections – like refugees, asylees and victims of human trafficking who previously qualified for SNAP – are at risk of losing their benefits at the time of their next redetermination for benefits," according to the IDHS.

IDHS officials are reviewing the recent federal court ruling to determine next steps and effects on noncitizen SNAP users in Illinois, according to the statement.

“IDHS continues to communicate with SNAP participants regarding upcoming changes to SNAP and to provide support as people navigate new processes and changes imposed by the Trump administration,” the agency said.

Joining Raoul in filing the lawsuit were the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. This story was updated at 1:45 p.m. Dec. 17, 2025, with information from the Illinois Department of Human Services.