Even with government reopened, refugees still ineligible for SNAP benefits

During the 2023-24 fiscal year, Nebraska welcomed 1,845 refugees from 28 different countries. When considering population, it's the largest number of refugees per capita of any state in the country

After Oct. 20, those refugees, plus asylees and humanitarian parolees, became ineligible for SNAP, according to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Section 10108 of the OBBBA reads, “The section maintains SNAP eligibility for individuals who reside in the United States and are (1) U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals; (2) lawful permanent residents, with exceptions; (3) aliens who are Cuban or Haitian entrants; or (4) individuals who are lawfully residing in the United States in accordance with the Compacts of Free Association between the United States and Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.”

Organizations in Nebraska that help with refugee resettlement and acclimation are trying to figure out how to communicate the changes, as well as how they can help make up for the loss in benefits.

“The families that we work with, they are working very hard,” said Katie Patrick the executive director for Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. “The head of household does have a job. They are paying their bills. They're sending their kids to school. They're acclimating to their new lives here, but they do need some assistance, because they're coming from having nothing, said Patrick”

Additional changes made under the U.S. Department of Agriculture have made getting a green card only one step in becoming eligible for SNAP. Originally, refugees were eligible for benefits right after getting their green card, but according to the federal change, refugees, asylees and humanitarian parolees are now subject to a five-year waiting period, so long as they've obtained their green card at some point.

Another change made it so the fee to file in immigration court for legal permanent residence, a green card, is a minimum of $1,500 now, whereas there used to be no fee.

When the changes came down, CSS gathered a list of those they help who will be affected. The total they landed on was 128 households.

“Our priority moving forward is looking at the families that we've welcomed in the past five years and doing what we can for those who have three or more in their household. And there's been a lot of large families who have families of six, seven, eight, nine, plus,” Patrick said.

These federal food assistance changes that affect a portion of Nebraska’s community have put extra pressure on refugee assistance groups.

“We found that almost 2,000 of our clients are likely to be impacted, like the families that we're working with,” said Hannah Vlach, the founder and executive director of Restoring Dignity.

Restoring Dignity is an Omaha based nonprofit that serves refugees through the lens of housing, and teaching them how to live safely within the United States.

Normally, Restoring Dignity has nothing to do with SNAP, but Vlach said as staff go into family homes to teach about things like fire safety, if the family does not have food, none of it matters.

Along with SNAP benefits ending, LIHEAP benefits are also changing. LIHEAP stands for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and those who have lost their SNAP benefits because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Change, will also likely lose their LIHEAP benefits. In Nebraska, LIHEAP eligibility generally follows SNAP eligibility when it comes to citizenship status.

“People are going to choose food first, heat bills are probably not going to be paid, and then once you get your heat shut off, landlords can evict you, understandably, because pipes can start bursting,” said Vlach.

Because of this, Restoring Dignity has taken steps to help.

“We’re doing update videos about what's going on so that people can understand, like we even had to do one about the government shutdown.” Vlach said. “And so we have all of these pantries, and all of them have agreed to have their flyers translated.”

She said they have translated these flyers into 13 different languages and have news update videos in around 15 different languages. They have reached out to Sens. Pete Ricketts and Deb Fischer, as well as 2nd District Rep. Don Bacon, with plans to reach out to the two other representatives. As of now, Bacon’s staff has gotten back to them, offering to help expediate the green card process for those in the Omaha area.

Nebraska Public Media reached out for comment from Nebraska’s representatives and senators in Washington D.C., but did not received anything by date of publication.

“Refugees, they have to be here for one year before they apply for their green card, because they have to do their medical exam,” said Poe Dee, the director of Refugee and Immigrant Services at Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska. “When the medical exam is completed, they come back to us and we apply for a green card. And that, it may take another one year or more to get their physical card. But now with the [USDA] change, even [if] they get the physical card, they're not even eligible if they're not here in the U.S. for five years.”

Catholic Social Services is recommending, if possible, that people either find a job that pays more, something CSS can assist with, or if there is someone within the family that is able to work and provide additional income, to do so.

For those families of six, seven, eight or even nine, one additional job or increased income will likely not suffice as a replacement for SNAP. Dee said they haven’t had many clients come back yet and inquire about the SNAP changes, but he thinks they will as time moves along, and their benefits run out.

“I mean, this is only the beginning,” Dee said. “Maybe we have not seen many refugees come back yet, but as working with refugee myself, like closely, I can see what the futures holds. Like there's a lot of big families that will need this help with the SNAP. I know that like a family of five, or family of six, or some of some of the families are like single mom, and then they have to work, and then if they lose the SNAP benefits, and they have to apply the income to the rent, and then if they have to pay for the food, maybe they will struggle a lot because they may not have enough income.”

For those working with these communities, it has been exhausting. Vlach said her staff has been working regular overtime shifts answering questions and getting the word out.

“It has been overwhelming and very distressing that we would take food away, and not only food, but like heat assistance too as we're going into winter in Nebraska,” Vlach said. “I've grown up here my whole life, and this isn't what I was raised to believe in. This isn't what Nebraska is or what we stand for, and yet we're allowing this to happen.”

Dee, a Karen refugee himself, said that refugees, with a little bit of help during the first year or so of resettling, can thrive.

“We have seen a lot of refugees who are thriving,” Dee said. “But I would say, like two to three years they will start thriving because, you know, a lot of them, they buy a car, they buy a house and they start a business. But it [is] just like for the recent arrival, the ones that just needed more help, or the bigger families. I mean, these families are like, truly needed help. It's not like they are not trying. They are trying, but it's not enough.”

With the government shutdown in the rearview mirror, Vlach, Patrick and Dee hope the changes made to SNAP will be reconsidered. Patrick said she hopes the Nebraska legislature will do something about it. For now, uncertainty is abundant right before the holiday season.