The Agriculture Department is taking steps to prevent illegal migrants from receiving federal food-assistance benefits.

“President Trump has made it clear that American taxpayers will no longer subsidize illegal aliens,” agency Secretary Brooke Rollins said Thursday in a statement. 

The agency runs the federal food assistance program officially titled the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and commonly referred to as "food stamps." 

John Walk, the agency's acting deputy under-secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, has issued guidance to federal agencies and has asked them to increase verification processes when checking the immigration status of SNAP program applicants. 

Illegal migrants generally do not qualify for food stamps, but there are some exceptions. 

The guidance mandates states to collect more documents to prove the identity of those applying for SNAP and to crack down on individuals using fake social security numbers for benefits.

Roillins also said the department's nutrition programs are meant to serve "vulnerable" Americans and those in the U.S. illegally should not get the benefits. 

“We are stewards of taxpayer dollars, and it is our duty to ensure states confirm the identity and verify the immigration status of SNAP applicants," Rollins said.