Refugee advocates and analysts warn SNAP rule changes will cut benefits for thousands in Pima County

Policy and service experts told the Pima County Board on Nov. 18 that changes in federal law and state implementation could remove SNAP benefits from many residents, including refugees and other immigrant groups.

Geraldine Miranda, assistant director for policy at the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, outlined recent federal budget-reconciliation changes (HR1) that expand the able-bodied-adult work requirement, remove prior waivers based on county unemployment rates, raise the age range subject to work requirements and narrow some prior exemptions. Miranda said roughly 140,000 Arizonans statewide could be subject to the new work requirement and estimated—based on state budget documents—that about 23,000 Pima County adults may be at risk of losing benefits if they cannot document required activities.

Meheria Habibi of the International Rescue Committee described the local refugee impact: IRC outreach found more than 1,100 contacts in recent outreach and survey work, and she said roughly 4,200 individuals (refugees, parolees and certain humanitarian arrivals) face long-term loss of SNAP eligibility under the new rules. She described information sessions, food distributions and a need for flexible county funding to help organizations pivot as policy changes continue.

Refugee community members recounted personal hardship: one speaker described arriving with limited English, relying on SNAP to stabilize the household while building language and employment skills, and urged the county to adopt measures that preserve pathways to employment and benefits. The board later directed the county administrator to identify how county departments and programs can help residents meet the new eligibility requirements, including outreach in rural areas and assistance with verification and documentation.