WEB Notes: Remove access to these programs for illegal immigrants and they will deport themselves. Many would love to take advantage of the free gravy train. Let us all use common sense. If someone else is going to pay the bill most people will go all out, but if you have to foot the bill then suddenly we see people tighten their grip on their money no matter the circumstances. People leave Mexico for many reasons, but we do not need to offer to support their families. If they would like to come here legally and try and make their way like the rest of us, then they are welcome in a controlled manner.
Source: Center for Immigration Studies
- Turning to households headed by immigrants in the country illegally, we estimate that 62 percent used one or more welfare programs in 2012, compared to 30 percent of native households.
- Households headed by immigrants illegally in the country have higher use rates than native households overall and for food programs (57 percent vs. 22 percent) and Medicaid (51 percent vs. 23 percent). Use of cash programs by illegal immigrants is lower than use by natives (5 percent vs. 10 percent), as is use of hous- ing programs (4 percent vs. 6 percent).
- There is a child present in 86 percent of illegal immigrant households using welfare, and this is the primary way that these households access programs.
- Of illegal immigrant households with children, 87 percent access one or more welfare programs compared to 52 percent of native households.
This report is a companion to a recent report published by the Center for Immigration Studies looking at welfare use by all immigrant households, based on Census Bureau data. is report separates legal and illegal immigrant households and estimates welfare use using the same Census Bureau data as that study. is analysis shows that legal immigrant households make extensive use of most welfare programs, while illegal immigrant households primarily bene t from food programs and Medicaid through their U.S.-born children. Low levels of education — not legal status — is the main reason immigrant welfare use is high.
In terms of the share of immigrant households using welfare, households headed by legal immigrants account for most pro- gram use. Of all immigrant households (legal and illegal) using one or more welfare programs, legal immigrants account for 75 percent of the total. Of immigrant households using cash, 92 percent are headed by legal immigrants, as are 71 percent of households using food assistance, 74 percent using Medicaid, and 87 percent in public or subsidized housing. is should not be surprising as households headed by legal immigrants account for 79 percent of all immigrant households in the SIPP.
It is fair to say that e orts to curtail immigrant welfare use have not been particularly e ective given the high welfare use of legal and illegal immigrants despite all of the restrictions on immigrant welfare use that are in place. Any suggestion that such costs can be avoided in the future by new legislation should be met with signi cant skepticism. Politically and practically it is di cult to prevent low-income people from accessing these programs once they have been allowed into the country. Further, the results indicate that knowledge of how to navigate the welfare system is extensive in immigrant communities and no change in the law would change this reality.
Source: Center for Immigration Studies
“Politically and practically it is di cult to prevent low-income people from accessing these programs once they have been allowed into the country.”
ALLOWED???
NOT BY LAW!!!!!