Democratic attorneys general from 21 states and the District of Columbia have initiated a lawsuit against the Trump administration in federal court in Oregon. This legal action seeks to block new guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in October, which directs states to deny Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to certain lawful immigrants, including refugees and individuals granted asylum. The states argue that these restrictions were not included in the broader tax and policy law enacted earlier in the summer and contend that the penalties for providing benefits to the newly excluded groups could jeopardize the viability of SNAP programs across various states.

In a separate incident, Bruna Ferreira, a 33-year-old Brazilian immigrant, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Revere, Massachusetts, while on her way to pick up her son from school. Ferreira, who has lived in the United States since she was six years old, was unable to present her driver's license when approached by the agents. Her sister reported that the encounter was aggressive, and Ferreira was subsequently taken to a police station before being transferred to the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in Vermont, where she described the conditions as unsafe. After a few days, she was moved to an ICE processing center in Louisiana, where she remains in custody.

Ferreira shares custody of her son, Michael Leavitt Jr., with Michael Leavitt Sr., who has expressed concern for their child's well-being amid the situation. The Department of Homeland Security noted that Ferreira has a previous arrest for battery and entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired in 1999. However, her attorney clarified that she has no adult criminal convictions. Ferreira was a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and was in the process of obtaining a green card at the time of her detention. Her family has initiated a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal expenses, raising nearly $18,000.

These developments reflect the complexities and human costs associated with current immigration enforcement policies, particularly for families impacted by such actions.