Last time
we spoke, I told you we
were going to court to
protect SNAP.
Feels
like a long time ago,
but it was just a few
weeks.
It was a
huge fight.
To recap:
We got a
letter from the
Agriculture Department
saying that they were
cutting off SNAP on
November 1 because of
the shutdown. They had
an emergency fund but
said they wouldn’t use
it.
We took
them to court and a
judge immediately agreed
that they had to use
their emergency fund.
Why? Because that’s why
Congress gave them the
fund - for an
emergency. The
court held that the
department didn’t have
the discretion to simply
refuse.
But the
fund didn’t have enough
to cover a full month,
so the court ordered the
Ag Department to pay out
50% of all benefits.
That was the situation
when the shutdown ended
and full payments
resumed.
Here’s
the bottom line: Because
of our combined legal
effort, there was a
critical window where
1.4 million people in
our state had access to
SNAP who otherwise
wouldn’t have. That
includes 600,000 kids
and 40,000 babies.
Our team
at NCDOJ worked around
the clock, and it made a
huge difference for a
lot of families. I’m
really proud of them.
Immigration
scams
We all
saw the federal CBP
operation last week.
What you may not have
seen are the attempts to
scam Hispanic families.
When
enforcement tactics are
overly broad - as they
were here, even
detaining American
citizens and lawful
residents - it creates
confusion and
vulnerability. Scammers
know this, and they’re
using it to scam
Hispanic families out of
thousands of dollars by
pretending to be
immigration attorneys or
government officials.
These
scams are highly
sophisticated and come
in multiple forms.
Sometimes
they’ll use the names
and photos of real
immigration attorneys,
message Hispanic
families directly on
social media, demand a
large up-front payment
to help them - and then
disappear.
Or
they’ll pose as a fake
law firm and stage a
video call designed to
look like a court
hearing. Someone will
pretend to be a judge
and will tell the family
to pay thousands of
dollars to their fake
attorney. In some cases,
A.I. has been used to
make it look legitimate.
We’re
pushing out warnings as
fast as we can - and we
will use every state law
available to pursue the
scammers.
As for
the federal operation,
it was plainly designed
to generate fear - and
it did. Instead of a
targeted effort focused
on dangerous offenders,
it became a broad sweep
of people who fit a
demographic profile.
When federal law
enforcement operates in
North Carolina, they
should meet the standard
of discipline and
professionalism we
expect from our local
officers. I work with
law enforcement every
day as AG, and I know
firsthand you can
respect people’s rights
and still go after
serious criminals.
Over the
last two weeks, I’ve
spent a lot of time
working with local
elected officials,
community leaders, and
nonprofits. Even under
deliberate provocation,
our state responded with
calm, coordination, and
compassion. Much of the
work wasn’t public, but
it mattered enormously
in the moment.
I also
appreciate Sen. Tillis
calling on Homeland
Security to provide a
list of everyone who was
detained and whether
they’ve been released.
That information is
crucial and I appreciate
him recognizing that.
Given that this was a
federal operation, his
federal role is uniquely
positioned to ensure
accountability, and we
need him to follow
through on that work.
A.I. rent-hiking
case
One of
the first things I did
as AG was sue six of the
biggest landlords in the
state for using
artificial intelligence
software called RealPage
to illegally collude and
raise rents.
The
largest one - Greystar -
just settled with us.
It’s a $7 million
settlement, and they can
no longer use that
rent-setting method.
They
control 25,000 rental
units in North Carolina.
That means those
families are now going
to be charged a fairer
price at a time when
housing costs are
already hitting people
hard.
This is
the second major
landlord to settle. We
have four more to go -
plus RealPage itself.
“What about politics at
Thanksgiving dinner?”
Over the
next few days, many of
you will be with family
celebrating the holiday.
I sometimes get asked
how to handle the
political conversations
that surface at family
dinners. My general
advice is to remember
that the people around
that table are part of
your life, not part of
your feed. Not every
disagreement needs to be
settled in real time,
and stepping away from a
debate doesn’t diminish
your convictions - it
just means that
relationships matter,
too.
These
days, I think it’s easy
to over-consume
political content. As
much as I hope people
are well-informed, at a
certain point you’re
just acting compulsively
and locking yourself
into perpetual anxiety.
That’s not healthy for
you or helpful to anyone
else.
So, for
the next few days, give
yourself the grace to
focus on friends and
family. Political fights
can wait. Exhale. Go
outside. Notice who’s
laughing in the kitchen.
Those small moments
aren’t a distraction
from the world - they’re
the reason it’s worth
working to improve.
Just my
advice. Obviously, it’s
up to you.
But I
sincerely hope this
holiday gives you a
chance to breathe,
reconnect, and spend
time with people who
make you feel grounded.
Wishing you a peaceful
and meaningful
Thanksgiving.
Best,
Jeff
Jackson
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