| Washington, D.C. (December 3, 2018) – The Trump administration has proposed new “public charge” rules making it harder for prospective immigrants to qualify for lawful permanent residence (green cards) if they use or are likely to use U.S. welfare programs. Center for Immigration Studies analysis of Census Bureau data shows that concern over immigrant welfare use is justified, as households headed by non-citizens use means-tested welfare at high rates. Non-citizens in the data include illegal immigrants, long-term temporary visitors like guest workers, and permanent residents who have not naturalized. While barriers to welfare use exist for these groups, it has not prevented them from making extensive use of the welfare system, often receiving benefits on behalf of U.S.-born children.
Steven Camarota, the Center’s director of research and the report’s lead author, observes, “Although most immigrants work, a large share have low levels of education resulting in low incomes – the primary reason so many access the welfare system. Either we select future immigrants unlikely to need welfare by emphasizing skills and education, or we accept the welfare burden that comes from our current immigration system.”
View the full report at: https://www.cis.org/Report/63-NonCitizen-Households-Access-Welfare-Programs
Highlights include:
- In 2014, 63 percent of households headed by a non-citizen reported that they used at least one welfare program, compared to 35 percent of native-headed households.
- Welfare use drops to 58 percent for non-citizen households and 30 percent for native households if cash payments from the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) are excluded. EITC recipients pay no income tax and like other welfare, the EITC is a means-tested anti-poverty program, but unlike other programs one has to work to receive it.
- Compared to native households, non-citizen households have much higher use of food programs (45 percent vs. 21 percent for natives) and Medicaid (50 percent vs. 23 percent for natives).
- Including the EITC, 31 percent of non-citizen-headed households receive cash welfare, compared to 19 percent of native households. If the EITC is not included, then cash receipt by non-citizen households is slightly lower than natives (6 percent vs. 8 percent).
- Most new legal immigrants (green card holders), as well as illegal immigrants and temporary visitors are barred from most welfare program, however this has only a modest impact because: 1) most legal immigrants have been in the country long enough to qualify; 2) the bar does not apply to all programs, nor does it always apply to children; 3) some states provide welfare to those otherwise ineligible; and, most importantly, 4) non-citizens (including illegal immigrants) receive benefits on behalf of U.S.-born children who are awarded American citizenship at birth.
- No single program explains non-citizens’ higher welfare use. For example, not counting school lunch and breakfast, welfare use is still 61 percent for non-citizen households compared to 33 percent for natives. Not counting Medicaid, welfare use is 55 percent for immigrants compared to 30 percent for natives.
- Welfare use tends to be high for both newer arrivals and long-time residents. Of households headed by non-citizens in the United States for fewer than 10 years, 50 percent use one or more welfare programs; for those here more than 10 years, the rate is 70 percent.
Contact:
Marguerite Telford
Director of Communications, Center for Immigration Studies
(202) 466-8185
mrt@cis.org |
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December 3rd, 2018 @ 10:36 am
Public Charge. Meaning the “public will pay” for those who don’t pay for themselves.
I immigrated legally decades ago, and since then have become a naturalized citizen.
ALL immigrants at that time HAD TO have a “sponsor”, a U.S. citizen responsible to pay for any charge the immigrant could not pay. Every year, green-card immigrants were required to provide update of address, sponsor name, etc., to INS (Immigration and Naturalization).