Si bien el gobierno federal ha reabierto oficialmente, los beneficiarios locales del programa SNAP tuvieron que lidiar con refrigeradores y alacenas vacías durante más de una semana. Ahora, se prevé que los requisitos de trabajo impuestos por la administración Trump causen más dificultades.

Un supermercado en Inwood. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 14 de noviembre. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

La movilidad de Pinkie Grier, de 67 años, se limita a caminar un par de manzanas alrededor de las viviendas Red Hook Houses de NYCHA en Brooklyn, donde vive.

Por eso, cuando sus prestaciones en su tarjeta de transferencia electrónica de beneficios no llegaron a principios de noviembre, debido al cierre más largo del gobierno federal en la historia de los Estados Unidos, sus opciones para encontrar comida se limitaron al pequeño radio que podía recorrer a pie.

“Fui al centro para personas mayores”, dijo Grier, refiriéndose al centro local para personas mayores de su barrio. “Llegué demasiado tarde al centro, porque ya habían terminado el desayuno, así que, básicamente, durante un par de días estuve hecha un desastre”.

Grier es uno de los casi 1.8 millones de residentes de la ciudad de Nueva York que reciben ayuda alimentaria del Programa Federal de Asistencia Nutricional Suplementaria (SNAP), también conocido como cupones de alimentos, que ayuda a los hogares con bajos ingresos a comprar alimentos.

Y aunque el gobierno federal reabrió oficialmente el jueves, los beneficiarios locales de SNAP que dependen de estas prestaciones tuvieron que lidiar con neveras y despensas vacías durante más de una semana. 

“No lo entienden”, dijo Diana Gatham, residente de NYCHA en Woodside Houses, que utiliza SNAP para alimentar a su familia de tres personas. “No sienten compasión por nosotros. Yo digo que no está bien. Hubo un tiempo en que yo también trabajaba. Lo tenía todo. Pero ahora tengo una discapacidad. No tengo casi nada”.

Tras una sentencia judicial dictada a principios de la semana pasada, Nueva York comenzó a distribuir fondos a los beneficiarios de SNAP los días 9 y 10 de noviembre, según la Oficina de Asistencia Temporal y por Discapacidad (OTDA por sus siglas en inglés), que administra el programa en Nueva York.

Según el Departamento de Servicios Sociales de la ciudad de Nueva York, todos los beneficiarios de la ciudad de Nueva York recibieron la totalidad de sus prestaciones hasta el viernes.

“Mientras Donald Trump ha luchado sin descanso para mantener la comida fuera de las mesas de los neoyorquinos, las familias que dependen de SNAP por fin pueden respirar aliviadas, ya que las prestaciones comienzan a llegar”, dijo la gobernadora Kathy Hochul en redes sociales el domingo.

Esa misma noche, Grier dijo que se acostó temprano sin haber comido. “No es divertido. No es nada agradable”, dijo. “Y te despiertas… y sabes que no tienes comida en casa, pero vas a la cocina de todos modos y ves que está vacía”. 

Grier dijo que normalmente gasta sus fondos a lo largo del mes. Y tras el retraso provocado por el cierre, decidió guardar $90 dólares en su tarjeta para el mes que viene, por si vuelve a ocurrir.

Durante el retraso de una semana, se organizaron repartos de alimentos de emergencia por toda la ciudad. Las despensas registraron colas más largas y algunos programas contra el hambre informaron que atendieron al doble de personas.

Contenido de una bolsa de alimentos preparada para personas sin hogar en St. John’s Bread & Life, un banco de alimentos en Brooklyn. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Joel Berg, director ejecutivo de Hunger Free America, dijo que las llamadas a la línea nacional contra el hambre se duplicaron durante los primeros días de noviembre.

“Comida retrasada es comida negada”, dijo Berg. “Hicimos todo lo posible por derivar a las personas a despensas y comedores, pero eso no es suficiente. Todo el mundo debería entender que esto ni siquiera es una curita”.

En Queens, Liz Alvarez es la directora de programas para The Connected Chef, una organización comunitaria que trabaja con familias en situación de inseguridad alimentaria. 

Ella dijo que pasaron de repartir 800 cajas de alimentos a las familias al mes a 1.240 en octubre, y proyectan repartir 1.840 cajas en noviembre con la ayuda de otras organizaciones y grupos de ayuda mutua.

Otros beneficiarios de SNAP dijeron a City Limits que encontrar comida durante esa semana se convirtió en su tarea las 24 horas del día. Se levantaban temprano para hacer fila en los bancos de alimentos, que se habían vuelto más largas, y llamaban y visitaban todas las organizaciones que conocían que podían ayudar.

“Dos veces me tocó, pero no alcancé a pasar a recibir”, dijo a City Limits una residente del sur del Bronx de 31 años, quien pidió permanecer en el anonimato.

Otras veces recibían una ración reducida, por lo que tenían que seguir buscando. “Tres papas, un brócoli, una cebolla, por ejemplo”, dijo la mujer, madre de un niño de un año. Según contó, pudo comprar algunos alimentos a crédito en su tienda de comestibles local.

300.000 neoyorquinos podrían verse afectados por los nuevos requisitos laborales

El gobierno federal ha vuelto a abrir y el acuerdo aprobado por el Congreso financia el programa de SNAP hasta septiembre de 2026. La OTDA dijo que las prestaciones de diciembre se emitirán a tiempo.

Pero aún quedan otros retos por delante, señalan los defensores.

En julio, los legisladores aprobaron la “One Big Beautiful Bill” de la administración Trump, que incluía nuevos requisitos de trabajo para recibir asistencia alimentaria.

Las normas afectan principalmente a las personas consideradas adultas sin dependientes y sin discapacidades (ABAWD por sus siglas en inglés), a las que se les exige trabajar o realizar voluntariado al menos 20 horas a la semana para recibir prestaciones.

También se amplió el rango de edad para ser considerado ABAWD, pasando de 18 a 54 años a 18 a 64 años, y se eliminaron las excepciones para veteranos, personas sin hogar y jóvenes en foster care de 24 años o menos, según el memorándum del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos que establece las nuevas normas.

Una tienda en la calle East 204th Street, en el Bronx. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

La administración Trump también sorprendió a muchos estados al eliminar el período de espera para las disposiciones anteriores, para iniciar el 1 de noviembre. 

Nueva York esperaba que iniciara en febrero. Pero los defensores demandaron al Departamento de Agricultura (USDA por sus siglas en inglés), alegando que las había rescindido arbitrariamente antes de lo previsto.

La semana pasada, un tribunal federal de Rhode Island dictó una orden de restricción temporal (TRO) que impide a la administración Trump poner fin a las exenciones antes de tiempo. 

Por ahora, las exenciones expirarán a finales de febrero de 2026, los requisitos laborales entrarán en vigor en marzo y los hogares que no los cumplan perderán sus prestaciones del SNAP en junio. El viernes, el DSS informó a City Limits que los neoyorquinos que no demuestren el cumplimiento de las normas laborales en el plazo de tres meses establecido por la ley federal podrían empezar a perder sus fondos del SNAP en junio. 

Ni la OTDA ni el DSS saben si el USDA decidirá impugnar la decisión de la orden judicial temporal, lo que podría cambiar ese calendario.

“Tenemos una combinación de incompetencia y malicia por parte del gobierno federal que está empeorando mucho todo esto”, dijo Berg. “Y mire, apoyamos que la gente consiga trabajo, y las personas que reciben SNAP quieran conseguir trabajos mejor remunerados, pero esta no es la forma de hacerlo”.

Para ponerse en contacto con el reportero de esta noticia, escriba a Daniel@citylimits.org. Para ponerse en contacto con la editora, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org.

The post ‘No es nada agradable’: cómo afectó a los neoyorquinos el retraso en distribución de prestaciones de SNAP appeared first on City Limits.

By MIKE CATALINI, Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing the criminal case against U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver told Trump administration attorneys Monday to turn over authorities’ text messages from her chaotic visit to an immigration detention center in New Jersey that led to charges accusing her of assaulting officers.

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U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper’s direction came nearly a month after he told authorities they needed to remove social media posts that could prejudice a jury. He also gave the government until next week to turn over additional video from McIver’s May 9 visit to the Delaney Hall facility in Newark.

Attorneys for the New Jersey Democrat told the judge that instead of receiving all the messages from officers involved in the visit, they instead got only those the government turned up after applying unknown search terms.

“I don’t necessarily understand the need for search terms,” Semper said. “Why would you be using search terms as opposed to just turning them over?”

Mark McCarren, an assistant U.S. attorney, told the judge prosecutors were looking for relevant items.

The judge said he recognized the possibility that there could be security concerns over releasing all messages. He added: “Short of that, they should have them.”

Monday’s hearing came days after Semper declined to throw out the case against McIver, who has pleaded not guilty to assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. The judge is still reviewing a defense request to throw out one of the counts.

McIver’s lawyers had argued the prosecution was selective and vindictive, and that she didn’t assault anyone during her visit. They also said McIver was performing legislative duties protected by the Constitution.

The case is a high-profile clash between President Donald Trump’s second administration and a Democratic lawmaker who has been sharply critical of the president’s policies.

Two of the counts against McIver carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison.

Delaney Hall is a 1,000-bed facility, where raucous protests happened in the spring.

McIver was among several elected officials who attempted to visit the facility. As they tried to gain access, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested by federal agents, with charges eventually dropped. McIver was among several people jostling in the crowd around Baraka as it happened.

Prosecutors claim McIver “slammed” her forearm into an agent and placed her arms around the mayor to try to stop his arrest.

It is not clear from police body camera video if the contact with the agent was intentional or the result of jostling in the chaotic scene.

By JULIE WATSON, Associated Press

Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago and Portland, Oregon, are being sent home, and those who will remain will continue to stay off the streets amid court battles over their domestic mission by the Trump administration, a defense official said Monday.

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The withdrawal of soldiers — sent from California and Texas — is part of a larger change to troop deployments after President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown in various cities with Democratic leadership. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and requested anonymity.

U.S. Northern Command said in a statement Sunday it was “shifting and/or rightsizing” units in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago. Although it said there would be a “constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.”

In the coming days, 200 California National Guard troops currently deployed to Oregon will be sent home, and about 100 will remain in the Portland area doing training, the official said. The military also plans to cut the number of Oregon National Guard troops on deployment there from 200 soldiers to 100, the official said.

About 200 Texas National Guard troops in Chicago also are being sent home and about 200 soldiers will be on standby at Fort Bliss, an Army base that stretches across parts of Texas and New Mexico, the official said.

About 300 Illinois National Guard troops will remain in the Chicago area, also doing training, but they currently are not legally allowed to conduct operations with the Department of Homeland Security, the official said.

The official said the upcoming holiday season may have played a role in the change in deployments.

Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said Trump “never should have illegally deployed our troops in the first place.”

“We’re glad they’re finally coming home,” she wrote in an email. “It’s long overdue!”

Democratic cities targeted by Trump for military involvement — including Chicago, which filed a separate lawsuit on the issue currently before the U.S. Supreme Court — have been pushing back. They argue the president has not satisfied the legal threshold for deploying troops and that doing so would violate states’ sovereignty.

U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut in Portland this month issued a permanent injunction blocking Trump from deploying troops in the city, saying he had failed to establish that he was legally entitled to do so. On Sunday, the administration filed an emergency motion seeking to put the ruling on hold while it appeals.

Separately, the Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement in Charlotte, North Carolina, expanding an aggressive campaign that’s been spearheaded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

National Guard deployments have been one of the most controversial initiatives of Trump’s second term, demonstrating an expanded willingness to use the military to accomplish domestic goals.

Troops, including active-duty Marines, were deployed to Los Angeles during immigration protests earlier this year.

The National Guard was also sent to Washington, D.C., where they were part of a broader federal intervention that Trump claimed was necessary because of crime problems.

The deployments later expanded to Portland and Chicago.

Although they don’t play a law enforcement role, members of the National Guard have been tasked with protecting federal facilities, particularly those run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

About 100 troops who have been in Los Angeles will remain on deployment, the defense official said.

AP journalist Chris Megerian in Washington and Eugene Johnson in Seattle contributed to this report.

By Carol Ann Davidson, Tribune News Service

I grew up with kilts, bagpipes, fiddles and Ceilidhs. No, not in bonnie Scotland, but in beautiful Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

So, when at last I visited Scotland’s Isle of Arran this past September, my guide, the engaging Alex Dickinson of Mogabout Tours, dressed from top to toe in tartan, made me feel right at home. But then, the 167-square-mile Isle, just shy of a population of 5,000, confirmed what I had felt: welcomed with a warmth and a generosity of spirit that was entirely authentic.

Recently anointed an UNESCO Geopark, and nicknamed “Scotland in Miniature,” Arran is an island on the west coast of Scotland anchored in the sheltered waters of the Firth of Clyde, an hour-long ferry ride from the city of Glasgow.

Alex Dickinson of Mogabout Tours on Isle of Arran. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

During my visit, Alex didn’t leave a Viking’s stone unturned or a 12th-century shell of Lochranza Castle on the beach unexplored. We hiked up hills carpeted with heather and thistle, viewed panoramic scenes of the sea and green-hued landscape at a vertiginous drop below. A “Fairy Rain,” as the Islanders refer to it, fell gently, laced with the scent of the briny sea.

The Isle of Arran’s 12th-century Lochranza Castle. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

Next stop Lochranza Distillery, where a dram or two of the award-winning Arran Single Malt warmed the cockles of our hearts. It’s one of only 12 independent whiskey distilleries in all of Scotland, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the complex process is highly recommended. Apparently, a key to the quality of the product is the water, and as the distillery tour guide told us, “The area is home to the purest water in all of Scotland.”

Brodick Castle ‘portraits’ on the Isle of Arran. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

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After our smooth libation, off we drove to the majestic Brodick Castle — the former ancestral home of the dukes of Hamilton and the only island country park in all of Britain. Considered a baronial masterpiece, it’s replete with historic art and artifacts and peppered with stories of scandalous intrigues, the dissolute life of one of the heirs a case in point. I must admit that the massive staircase sporting innumerable taxidermy mounts of antlered deers was a wee bit unsettling. A groaning table in the kitchen was laden with realistic replicas of the abundance and variety of food the Duke and Duchess provided for their elaborate parties. Haggis, the traditional Scottish food, may have been part of their diet. Not mine, mind you. Somehow the thought of eating a pudding containing sheep’s heart, liver and lungs encased in the animals stomach didn’t quite appeal to me. However, for a perfectly illogical reason, local fish and seafood did. So off we went to Mara Fish Bar and Deli in the village of Corrie. Basking in the sun on the deck facing the sea, we feasted on locally sourced hand dived scallops, homemade fish tacos, mounds of crisp French fries, and downed it all with the other national drink, the carbonated soft drink IRN-BRU.

As wonderful as all of this was, I must admit that Bellevue Farm stole my heart.

Harry the calf, at Bellevue Farm. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

Specifically, Harry, the calf and, oh yes, Milly, the goat and all five of the alpacas. Not that the rest of the farm’s 60 cows, 200 sheep and 20 goats weren’t a joy, but bottle feeding each one would have been impossible. So a girl has to choose. Harry, the russet-color Highland cow, was irresistible. He sucked on that milk bottle for dear life, pulling me this way and that with every gulp.

But that was exactly what Ailsa and Donald Currie hoped for. Their working farm is a magnet for animal lovers, sustainable farm practices, and literally farm-to-table fare. We humans also were well fed with a hearty meal prepared by Ailsa from the Bellevue community garden.

The cooperative spirit of the islanders was evident when Katie Murchie arrived to greet us. Her family has the only dairy farm on the island, Tigheanfroach, and the Arran Ice Cream they produce is a dream — a fine finish to our lunch.

Cromlix hotel in Stirlingshire countryside. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

Bellevue sells its barley to the island’s distilleries. Cooperation and congeniality are keys to a community that knows well how to flourish in partnership.

And at the end of each day, how appealing it was to return to the welcoming and comfortable Douglas Hotel overlooking Brodick Bay. From hearty Scottish breakfasts promoting the island’s cottage producers like Wooley’s oatcakes, and the dinner menu featuring Arran and Ayreshire lamb, beef and venison. And yes, Arran Ice Cream.

Now, Scotland has almost 6 million people, 7 million sheep, 5,000 goats. Where, you may ask, is this narrative thread leading?

Yours truly trying her hand at the Radical Loom in Stirling. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

Well, as an amateur crafter of textiles, my west- to east-coast Scotland journey was, in part, in pursuit of the wool and cashmere fabrics for which Scotland is world renowned. Next stop, the village of New Lanark, in South Lanarkshire. It’s a totally charming 18th-century textile mill town on the shore of the Falls of Clyde with a population of 200. Under the guidance of Robert Owen, New Lanark became a model for industrial communities in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 2001 it was anointed one of 6 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Scotland. Tourists from around the world flock to explore its National Nature Reserve, stay in the lovely New Lanark Mill hotel and learn about its history at the Visitor Center, including a well-stocked shop selling woolen products made on-site. The last was the main draw for me. Iain Dickie, the lone textile operator, dazzled me on a private tour of the entire process, starting with harvesting the sheep’s wool, then washing, spinning and dying it as he orchestrated a dizzying number of machines. The end product — skeins — are the foundational threads used in all woolen products. It takes a full month to make a 100-gram skein of wool!

New Lanark’s skeins, ready to be transformed into textiles. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

Iain, a rather modest man, revealed with some pride, that he fashioned two wools for the Harry Potter films.

After a scenic train ride across the soft green countryside dotted with sheep, I arrived at Lunan Bay Farm in Angus on the North Sea to spent a day with 150 cashmere goats. Farmers Jillian and Neil McEwan are the guardians of the largest remaining farmed herd of cashmere in the United Kingdom and the only farm of its kind in all of Scotland. The setting is, in a word, spectacular. Their acreage spreads out along the vast sandy beach with an 11th-century castle perched on a nearby hill.

Cashmere goats at Lunan Bay Farm in Angus. (Jayne Watson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

The sun was shining and the goats were bleating. Unlike the more passive sheep, goats are more animated and hierarchical. Feeding a few seemed like a bit of a wrestling match, as the alpha goat was butting its head against any other who tried to yes, butt in. But they all loved a bit of cuddling. Cashmere fiber is the soft down under the thicker outer layer. One goat will yield only 75 grams of pure spinnable cashmere per year!

Fun with Goats in Coats at Lunan Bay Farm. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

Giving to the community at large, Jillian and Neil work withschools and colleges offering a Goatgetters project, an outreach farm education, with their goats. And every Easter the popular Goats in Coats Festival features the baby cashmere goats in hand-knitted jumpers. (2026 dates are April 11, 12, 18 and 19.) Get your tickets fast as it is always sells out quickly! But if you can’t go then Jillian and Neil open their farm to guests throughout the year and not only will Jillian’s homemade lunch be served, but their small cashmere shop offers the best-quality cashmere items on the market. I must admit, for a brief moment I considered staying there and becoming a goat whisperer … the day was that divine.

Threads of sheep wool and cashmere invariably find their way into the iconic tartans of Scotland. At last count, the official number of registered tartans rang in at 10,000.

Processing sheep’s wool in New Lanark. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

At Radical Weavers in the city of Stirling, I discovered that the Davidson tartan was one of them. In a three-hour workshop, Peter, the 25-year-old master weaver, had me, the novice, pressing levers and throwing the shuttle back and forth to thread the blue, black, green and red fibers into an actual square of tartan. What a thrill!

Evidence of Scottish textiles was liberally scattered throughout Cromlix, the luxury Victorian Mansion and estate in the secluded Stirlingshire countryside near Dunblane. The owners, Kim and Sir Andy Murray (Scotland’s champion tennis player), have created an oasis of comfort, quiet and beauty, as well as achieving a rare two-key Michelin rating. My dinner served in the airy glasshouse was, without exaggeration one of the best of my well-traveled life. The halibut was perfection itself. The service, superb.

Cozy in canopy at luxurious Cromlix in Stirlingshire countryside. (Carol Ann Davidson/Carol Ann Davidson/TNS)

I slept well in a canopied fourposter bed in a suite that rivaled those of “Downtown Abbey” fame. Cromlix capped an extraordinary time in a country I have for a long time longed to visit.

How does Scotland compare to my beloved Cape Breton? Admirably!

For more information

VisitScotland.com

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