U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested five illegal aliens accused of improperly receiving taxpayer-funded food benefits as part of a broader fraud crackdown, the Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday.
The department identified one Cuban national and four Haitian nationals as recent examples in its October 21 release. DHS said all five entered the United States unlawfully and fraudulently accessed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“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,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the release.
“The illegal alien fraudsters that we’ve already arrested and deported are just a drop in the bucket, and the Trump Administration is committed to going after all these thieves and bringing them to justice.”
Five arrests detailed
Elizabeth Povea Rodriguez, a Cuban national, has a disorderly conduct conviction and previous arrests for battery and domestic violence, according to DHS.
Rubstony Junior Theodore, a Haitian national, has previous arrests for larceny, obstruction of officers and trespassing, DHS said. The department named the other three Haitian nationals as Wilbert Jean Baptiste, Louis Jean and Jhensly Charles.
The release did not specify arrest dates, locations, alleged benefit amounts or SNAP-related criminal charges for the five people. It also did not say which, if any, of the five ICE had deported.
Larger fraud cases
Two Romanian brothers illegally in the United States pleaded guilty to wire fraud July 2 in a multistate SNAP scheme involving more than $760,000, the Justice Department announced. The ring stole EBT card data from recipients in a scheme that ran from July 2024 through August 2025, according to prosecutors.
A separate enforcement surge from September 1 through October 21 involved more than 40 defendants across SNAP and another USDA program, the Justice Department said Wednesday. The alleged or proven schemes involved nearly $42 million in intended SNAP losses. The release did not give an illegal-alien-only defendant total.
SNAP eligibility rules
Federal SNAP rules also allow certain immigrants to qualify. Eligible groups include lawful permanent residents, qualifying Cuban and Haitian entrants, and citizens covered by the Compacts of Free Association, according to USDA guidance. Applicants must also meet other program requirements.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins previously directed states to share SNAP recipient data to help identify fraud, as The Dallas Express reported.
DHS described the five arrests as the beginning of a sustained, large-scale operation targeting illegal aliens accused of fraudulently receiving SNAP benefits.
