Many families applying for cash assistance assume the information they submit is used only to determine eligibility. A federal policy change suggests that assumption now deserves a closer look.

In June, the Administration for Children and Families updated the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families data system. Beginning September 30, the change will allow Social Security numbers, home addresses, immigration status, and other information families provide when applying for cash assistance to be shared with Department of Homeland Security systems — without a warrant, a court order, or the caseworker knowing. More than 20 state attorneys general are now challenging the policy in court. The legal challenge raises new questions about how government technology governs the lives of people who rely on public benefits.

The notice was published as a routine Privacy Act notice. It allows the routine uses of welfare applicant data containing Social Security numbers, home addresses, and immigration status to be shared with the Department of Homeland Security for uses that go beyond administering benefits. The policy does not require warrants, court orders, or individualized suspicion before sharing. It also doesn’t establish a process for recipients to learn they've been flagged, correct an erroneous match, or contest an adverse action.

By Aug. 3, more than 20 states had joined legal challenges seeking to block the change. Attorney General Letitia James of New York was among the first to file suit. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with Attorney General Nick Brown of Washington state, joined the case, as did officials from Kentucky and Pennsylvania. The states argued that this change violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the Computer........

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