Non-citizens, including refugees, will lose access to food stamps in Wisconsin on July 1
WEST MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Big changes are coming as it relates to who will be eligible for food stamps in Wisconsin. According to the Hunger Task Force, a number of non-U.S. citizens will no longer be eligible for the state's FoodShare program, effective July 1.
Reno Wright, the food bank's director of public policy and advocacy, said the changes will affect about 7,200 residents statewide. The Hunger Task Force added 63% of those residents live in Milwaukee County.
The changes are part of the sweeping budget bill President Donald Trump pushed for and signed into law last year, referring to it as the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act."
Under the new federal law, food stamps are now reserved for U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents with very few exceptions.
Wright said, in Wisconsin, documented immigrants, such as refugees, asylees and people admitted for other humanitarian reasons, such as victims of human trafficking, will no longer qualify for FoodShare, the state's program for distributing food stamps.
"These are all people who have legal immigrant statuses," Wright said. "They're simply gonna lose access to this very vital food source that is the number one line of defense against hunger."
States have implemented the new law in different ways. According to the Hunger Task Force, Wisconsin will remove eligibility on July 1; after that date, non-citizens won't be able to enroll in the program.
People already in the program will be kicked off FoodShare at the end of their 12-month cycle.
"For individuals who currently have benefits, they will no longer be eligible upon their renewal date," Wright said.
CBS 58 reached out to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to learn more about how the state will inform recipients about to lose eligibility.
DHS communications officials did not provide a response to CBS 58's questions about the changes Tuesday.
Wright said he was concerned removing FoodShare benefits from 7,200 people would force many of those recipients to become more dependent on food pantries, which he added were already strained amid rising costs for food and other everyday essentials.
"Here in Wisconsin, we've seen an increase in pantry traffic over the past two years of about 50%," Wright said. "And over the past year alone, in our network, we've seen an increase of about 35%."
Wright said in other situations where pantries saw traffic spikes, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic and during last fall's federal government shutdown, donations also increased.
Two Milwaukee pantries, Project Concern of Cudahy and St. Francis and the Jewish Community Pantry, declined to comment Tuesday, citing a need to gather more information about how their clients could be affected.
Wright said he was worried pantries will see increased traffic once thousands begin losing eligibility for FoodShare in July.
"So, it puts a great strain on the volunteers," Wright said. "And the organizations and the pantries that are providing these services."