Oregon Lawmakers are Renewing Efforts to Feed Ineligible Immigrants

Oregon lawmakers have renewed their efforts to feed ineligible immigrants amid heightened tensions over President Donald Trump’s stance on immigrants and threats of mass deportations.

After failing a similar effort in 2023, the lawmakers have narrowed food beneficiaries to people under 26 or older than 55, who they feel are at risk of hunger.

SNAP Feeds 770,000 Oregonians

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, feeds 770,000 Oregonians from 447,000 households annually.

To qualify, individuals can earn up to $2,510 a month, and a family of four up to $5,200. The food benefits represent $309 monthly per household.

However, thousands of immigrants do not meet the criteria set by the federal government to qualify for food benefits.

Among the criteria is the dictate that to qualify, immigrants must have Lawful Permanent Resident status for at least five years. Other criteria include that they must be under 18 years old, and have a qualifying disability, and a net income below the poverty line.

The scaled-down version of Senate Bill 611 is sponsored by Wlnsvey Campos, D-Aloha, supported by the Oregon Food Bank and the Food for All Oregonians, a coalition representing more than 160 organizations that includes undocumented immigrants and legal residents who have not been in the country for five years.

The Bill has one Republican co-sponsor, Rep. Mark Owens, a farmer from Crane, and Campos is campaigning for a Republican co-sponsor in the Senate.

In 2023, the Campos Bill cleared the Senate Human Services Committee but died in a joint budget subcommittee without a vote.

The president of the Oregon Food Bank, Andrea Williams, says the new Bill concentrates on senior citizens and children because they are the two population groups most susceptible to hunger.

According to Williams, easing hunger offers additional benefits. She said when families have access to food, chances of eviction from their homes decrease. People will hold down their jobs longer, and children will achieve better results at school.

Demand for food assistance remains high in Oregon. Last year, 2.5 million people visited the Oregon Food Bank network of 1,400 sites, an increase of 31%. The Food Bank distributed nearly 100 million pounds of food.