DHS Launches Large-Scale Crackdown on SNAP Benefit Fraud; ICE Arrests Five in First Wave
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on October 21 that it has begun a significant operation targeting people who entered the country unlawfully and then exploited the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the food-assistance program meant for American citizens. DHS said the arrests are the first wave of a sustained, large-scale U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation specifically targeting those who have fraudulently accessed SNAP benefits.
"Illegal aliens who have no right to be here in the first place are the last people who should be using SNAP benefits and other forms of welfare," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "These programs are for Americans only." Mullin said the fraudsters already arrested and deported are "just a drop in the bucket," and that the Trump Administration is committed to going after all of them and bringing them to justice.
DHS listed five people recently arrested by ICE in the operation: Elizabeth Povea Rodriguez, from Cuba, whose criminal history includes a conviction for disorderly conduct and arrests for battery and domestic violence; Rubstony Junior Theodore, from Haiti, whose criminal history includes arrests for larceny, obstruction of officers, and trespassing; and Wilbert Jean Baptiste, Louis Jean, and Jhensly Charles, all from Haiti. DHS said every one of them entered the country unlawfully and then drew from the program.
According to DHS, SNAP is funded by American taxpayers exclusively for U.S. citizens in need and is designed to feed struggling American families. The department said the Trump Administration is executing a sustained, aggressive operation against this fraud and will not stop until every person involved is identified, removed, and barred from further access to American benefits.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：移民执法局（ICE）执法与递解行动处（ERO）人员在洛杉矶执行逮捕行动（资料图，2025年6月12日）。照片：美国国土安全部（DHS）提供，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers during an operation in Los Angeles, June 12, 2025 (file photo). Photo provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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