Dem AGs Fight Trump’s Push to Keep Illegal Immigrants Off Taxpayer Aid
A coalition of 24 Democratic attorneys general and the District of Columbia filed suit Monday to stop the Trump administration from sharing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) data with the Department of Homeland Security. The White House says the data is essential to keep illegal immigrants from accessing taxpayer-funded aid reserved for U.S. citizens and legal residents.
The lawsuit, co-led by California AG Rob Bonta, New York AG Letitia James, and D.C. AG Brian Schwalb, was filed in federal court in D.C. Among the plaintiffs is Arizona AG Kris Mayes, who has repeatedly positioned herself as a vocal critic of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The states argue the data-sharing policy, published in June, violates federal law and the Constitution by giving DHS access to Social Security numbers, income details, marital status, and other personal information of TANF recipients.
Today, Arizona AG @krismayes quietly joined a lawsuit with a 20+ liberal states to prevent the federal government from cracking down on illegal use of welfare by illegal aliens. pic.twitter.com/kgTRKDm2ni
— R.C. Maxwell 🇺🇸 (@RCMaxw3ll) August 3, 2026
TANF provides about $16.5 billion annually to help low-income families with children. Federal law already bars undocumented immigrants from receiving TANF benefits directly, but data shows the system is being taken advantage of. According to a June 2026 report from the Administration for Children and Families, in fiscal year 2024 more than 85,000 “child-only” TANF households headed by parents ineligible due to immigration status received about $759 million in cash assistance (roughly 9 percent of nationwide TANF basic assistance spending), with an estimated $18.3 billion paid out to such households since 2001.
Government accountability officials maintain that without cross-checking welfare rolls against immigration databases, states and the federal government cannot effectively enforce existing eligibility rules.
Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen blasted Mayes’ participation in the lawsuit in an exclusive statement to RedState. “Open borders Kris Mayes is once again taking orders from her liberal allies instead of putting taxpayers first,” Petersen said.
Earlier this year, Mayes sparked bipartisan backlash after suggesting that masked or poorly identified ICE agents could create a “recipe for disaster” under the state’s Stand Your Ground law. She warned that residents who reasonably believed their lives were in danger might be justified in using lethal force if they could not clearly identify the agents as law enforcement. Mayes later claimed her comments were mischaracterized, but she continued to criticize ICE tactics, launched a public portal for Arizonans to report alleged agent misconduct, and vowed to prosecute federal officers whom she believes violate state law.
This is not the first time Democratic attorneys general have gone to court to shield welfare and other benefit data from immigration authorities. Similar challenges have targeted IRS, Medicaid, and food-aid information-sharing arrangements. In some of those cases, judges have allowed limited DHS access to data on non-citizens while restricting broader collection on U.S. citizens.
The lawsuit frames the data-sharing as “mass surveillance” and an attempt to “weaponize” anti-poverty programs. Bonta called it “cruel, unnecessary, and illegal.” It’s no wonder why a state is leading the charge to block transparency. According to the same June 2026 Administration for Children and Families report, California alone accounted for roughly 81 percent of the national total TANF fraud committed by illegals.
The real question is why Arizona’s Democratic Attorney General Kris Mayes is standing with them. Her opponent, Warren Petersen, is hoping voters don’t want that type of obstruction from their top law enforcement officer. In a state that still values border security and fiscal responsibility, Mayes’ decision to join California’s fight may prove a costly miscalculation.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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