Yes, Welfare Use by Immigrants is Growing



Welfare use by immigrants has continued to rise despite claims by economists that immigration is a net benefit. FAIR has documented the many costs of illegal immigration (And legal immigration) in our cost studies.

Mexican President Backs Amnesty Effort

“Mexican President-elect Enrique Pena Nieto on Tuesday backed President Barack Obama’s planned push for U.S. immigration reform, pledged cooperation on border security and promised efforts to reduce violence in his own country. Three weeks after winning re-election, Obama held White House talks with Pena Nieto, who is due to take office on Saturday, to begin forging a personal bond and discuss shared challenges that have sometimes created fraught relations between their countries,” the Chicago Tribune reports.”

House Ready to Pass STEM Bill

“Despite White House opposition, the House appears likely to pass a bill this week that would allow more foreign students who graduate from U.S. schools with advanced technical degrees to stay in the country. The House failed to pass the bill, drafted by Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, when it was brought to the floor in September under a procedure that requires a two-thirds vote to pass. But based on the vote from that first attempt, the legislation appears to have enough support to pass the chamber this week by a majority vote,” Yahoo News says.

Yes, Welfare Use by Immigrants is Growing

“Here’s a perplexing pair of statistics: Compared with native-born Americans, immigrants are more likely to start a business — and they’re also more likely to depend on welfare,” says Jillian Kay Melchior at National Review.

“Two policy trends are driving the problem. First, the United States has promoted broader welfare use in recent years, also leading campaigns that market social aid specifically to immigrants. And second, our immigration rules are not crafted to weed out would-be freeloaders and give preference to highly skilled, highly educated applicants.”

Georgia Considering Appeal to Supreme Court

“The long-running legal battle over Georgia’s illegal immigration law could continue for months and keep a hotly debated part of the statute on hold if the state decides to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says.

“Georgia officials said Tuesday that they were still considering their options after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected their request for a rehearing in the case. The state had asked the appeals court to reconsider its decision against a part of the law that would punish people who knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants while committing other crimes. In August, the court ruled the measure is pre-empted by federal law, which already prohibits such activities.”

About Author

avatar

Dan is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)'s President after joining the organization in 1982. He has testified more than 50 times before Congress, and been cited in the media as "America's best-known immigration reformer." Dan has appeared on virtually every significant TV and radio news/talk program in America and, in addition to being a contributing editor to ImmigrationReform.com, has contributed commentaries to a vast number of print media outlets.

18 Comments

  1. avatar

    Again and again we, the People, address the illegal alien crisis in America with our greatest weapon: the printed word! Have we yet succeeded in eradicating our lives of these people? A resounding NO!

    Amnesty will not produce a new breed of American patriots from the illegal alien masses. These people have no desire to become citizens of our country for they are acutely aware that this process will require them and their myriad family members to be responsible for their own welfare. Their existence in this country will radically change from that of parasitic to one of autonomy. This method was attempted years ago and failed for these very reasons.

    Let’s evaluate America’s new approach to the millions of illegal aliens who are already intact within our borders. They have not considered the legal impact of this Dream Act which will, once they become citizens, eradicate their lives of “free-loading in the United States. If enforced (?) it will bring with it a resolution of America’s three greatest crises, which these people have created by living off of America’s legal citizens!

    1. There will no longer be a deficit within the Internal Revenue Service for now the 13 million illegal aliens will find themselves living like the rest of us. They will now be paying income taxes, they will no longer be given their tax number to simply receive free income tax refunds every year although they have never paid a dime into the system.
    Is the picture looming more clearly now for us, the legal American citizens? These people have spent years draining our systems financially only to move this money into Mexico without that proven process of paying money back into our nation’s coffers. Hmmm………..

    2. There will no longer be a deficit within the Social Security system due to the drain from the illegal aliens who, surprise, received benefits without paying into the Social Security Program! It has never ceased to amaze me that no one in these agencies has ever had the courage to stop the insanity!

    3. There will certainly be no more wretched abuse of our healthcare system! These people will no longer be allowed to use the emergency services at our hospitals without first visiting the clinics. Their arrogant calls to the Razaunida lawyers if they are denied emergency care because they are not in NEED of emergency care, will no longer be an option. This insane practice has required our hospitals, our doctors, our medical personnel, and of course, the American people to absorb the financial drain on our medical facilities.
    There is no longer a need for Obama and Congress to pursue the song and dance process of informing Americans that once again, we will have to carry the load because there is simply no way to fix this nation’s financial, welfare and healthcare crises! THEY HAVE FIXED IT WITH THEIR DREAM ACT !

    Feeling a little better about this wonderful Dream Act? Do not hold your breath, for these corrupt officials will simply rewrite our federal laws again to protect the illegal aliens from being accountable for the same responsibilities that the American people have to accept.

    My final comment is to address that the best of America’s best are fighting to protect us while our cowardly president and Congress are handing this nation to Mexico without a fight.
    Our military face the horrors of war: death, disability and disfigurement only to return home to a country of emotional cripples who refuse to fight for our rights on our home front. They return to a nation whose employment opportunities are already impacted by millions of illegal aliens, and are left begging for help while the Washington electorate continue to count their payments from the Razaunida lobbyists.

    America’s future looms dismally on the horizon, for She needs patriots, not politicians. The only goal of the Mexican radicals is to create a united Mexican race in America. One must question: if these Raza members are so determined to create their society, why will they not return to their country of origin and alter the path of destiny within Mexico’s borders?
    We cannot allow Mexico to continue to control this nation’s future.
    Welcome to America, 2012. Will 2013 be recorded by historians as the year Americans regained our freedoms from a corrupt government? We must try.

  2. avatar

    As far as I am concerned President Obama’s leading ranks of voters were the majority of those who are classed as “Freeloaders’”? Not the elderly, not the handicapped or infirm, but those who have learned to play the welfare system. They are also the people who think adding to the most incredulous deficit Washington has ever wrought, with Obama striding out the most insane definition of a free ride for everybody. One of Obama’s plans placed before the Republicans today was a blank check, to continuing the spending disaster.We cannot even pay the advancing U.S. treasury bills, let alone more additional trillions of dollars this administration has in mind. Yet this Congress could do much more, such as restricting illegal aliens with children literary stealing 4.2 Billion dollars annually in child tax credits and the IRS completely ignoring such outlandish behavior. In that this year alone illegal alien families could benefit under the “ADDITIONAL CHILD CREDIT” loophole for the sum of 7.4 Billion, even when in many occasions the child or children live outside the jurisdiction of the United States. “Citizens against Government Waste” a non-profit research organization have pinpointed hundreds of billions of dollars in overlapping agencies in government, both doing the same thing and many other wasteful taxpayer dollars going down the proverbial government drain. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AR) co-sponsored a bill earlier this year to bar illegal immigrants from receiving tax credits, but the bill was blocked from reaching the floor by Nevada Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

    WE WOULD NEVER HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM OF ETHNIC MAJORITY DEMOGRAPHICS, IF OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS WAS ENFORCED AT THE BORDERS, INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TERMINALS AND OTHER PORTS OF ENTRY?

    Yet President Obama wants even more money from hardworking taxpayers. Instead of pandering to illegal aliens—not legal immigrants or permanent residents, his Socialist party and the Republicans as well should vote into law “THE LEGAL WORKFORCE BILL” However this electronic business employment verification program should be unilateral between parties, it should shuffle illegal aliens out of the limited job market? The GOP just voted for more visas for high skilled workers of the STEM Variety (Scientists, Technology, Engineers and Math) So American taxpayers should lean on the Democrats and Republicans to revise the 2006 Secure Fence Act, but complete the circuit by making it a felony to enter this sovereign country. American taxpayers should demand both the Legal Workforce Act and the Birthright Citizenship bill, we will not only discourage further invasion from foreign countries, but will inhibit another need for a DREAM ACT in our future. As for a labor shortage in the field, it should be orderly and heavily regulated and absconders who came here for Agjobs, who run off should be heavily held accountable, including the visitor visor overstays who must be tracked. It will also send a signal to people across the globe, that they are not welcome here illegally anymore and we are not going to distribute welfare to them.

    As an additional impediment we the American People should be demanding passage of the “Birthright Citizenship Bill” so that pregnant illegal alien mothers cannot take advantage of our public entitlement programs unless one parent is already a U.S. citizen. No baby or young child cannot be given a free U.S. citizenship unless this rule is verified.. This unrealistic law was originally for the emancipation of slaves at the end of the civil war and hasn’t been adapted for this century and costs American taxpayers $113 billion dollars. Its ill conceived when citizens are the homeless and living on our dangerous streets and illegal aliens can collect welfare payments for babies and low income housing. Entitlements for the illegal poor have sky rocketed, as well as the human parasites that live amongst us feeding of our taxes. Just judge California’s “open Door” policy mess of a growing huge deficit. Of course people who can get something for nothing, is going to vote for the “entitlement” President that has allowed his czars to give out “food stamps” like candy and free cell phones.

    A few prudent taxpayers are ignored, but if we approach the feds and state politicians in mass, they had better start listening to the core. We can no longer accept paying for shirkers, the spongers and illegal aliens or anybody who threaten this great counties prosperity?

    From Stephen Frank website at California News & Views on 11/30/2012

    California is in a Depression. Some are trying to make believe massive Federal and State tax increases, unions; illegal aliens a non happening to the “recovery”. “Over the past decade, the state has lost ground in employment and taxable income to economic rivals, especially Texas. Internal Revenue Service data show that California lost more than $4 billion in personal income to Texas from 2000 to 2010. Nevada netted more than $5.6 billion at California’s expense. Arizona gained nearly $5 billion. For a state that depends heavily on the personal income tax, these losses are significant. They also point to broader problems in the state’s business climate. People tend to move mainly for economic reasons, such as jobs or cost of living.”

    IF YOU WANT THE TRUTH OF THE CHAOS THIS COUNTRY IS IN, DON”T EXPECT THE LEVEL TRUTH FROM THE MAINSTREAM LIBERAL PROGRESSIVE PRESS OR MEDIA. DELVE INTO THE INTERNET, BECAUSE THE REAL FACTS ARE THERE AND AVAILABLE?

    • avatar
      John F Kostrubal on

      I agree with you 100% .
      Most Americans do not realize that we are at an undeclared war with Radical Muslim and Mexican groups in our nation today .With the help of unscrupulous and corrupt politicians they are gaining political power in our government, starting at the top with Barack Hussien Obama .
      Unfortunately, many Republicans are joining the Democrats in pandering to these groups after the 2012 Election .
      Mexico has never been a friend to the U.S. as evident of their United Nations voting, usually favoring Cuba and Russia over us .
      Mexican Cartels and Muslim groups like Hezbollah have been trading drugs for money and weapons . Hillary, Obama and the bias Media have been lying to the American people on blaming the U.S. for being the main supplier of weapons to Mexico .
      We have sent Mexico Trillions of our tax dollars to Mexico since the 1986 Amnesty disaster to help secure the border and fight the drug cartels, and for what ?
      This is what Obama meant by transforming America . Using foreigners to infiltrate our government and nation to over throw our out nation, our culture and our very way of life .

  3. avatar

    One of the largest ongoing annual tax frauds in the US has to do with illegals and the ACTC (Additional Child Tax Credit). It is a multi-Billion dollar annual fraud by illegals who claim additional children who either do not exist or are living in other countries. Tax preparers will tell you that they merely have to list the names of the additional children – and nothing else! No SS#, no documentation of any kind. The ACTC was intended to help US families who are struggling to make ends meet, and instead is helping illegals make billions per year. It is vital to keep in mind that the minimum wage in Mexico, for instance (and there are much lower salary examples / countries), is only $4 dollars per day. So, if someone from this country defrauds our tax system of $3,000 from this ACTC scam, that’s the approx. equivalent of this person getting $60,000.

    I urge all readers to research this topic (youtube has excellent videos on this from whistleblower tax preparers) and contact your member of congress and senator at once on this critical (and unreported) billion dollar fraud and abuse.

  4. avatar

    The “Pathway to Citizenship” is beyond absurd.

    Ok, let’s say one requirement is that the person has to have lived in the US for 5 years. Do you really think anyone illegal who has been in the US more than 5 minutes won’t apply? Everyone illegal will say they’ve been living here forever! They’re illegal – you think they have paperwork and file cabinets?

    Next, another requirement might be that illegals need to speak English. Really?? Most Americans can barely speak proper English these days – have you seen primetime television lately? Who’s going to administer the test? What low level of English are we speaking of? And what grade level? This “Pathway to Citizenship” will merely create layer upon layer of bureaucracy. We are headed towards a Blade Runner-type society. Rather quickly I’m afraid.

    It’s important to remember that the government is merely a large charity. And charities do not focus on solutions to problems. Instead, they are concerned with the growth of their own organization. The larger they get (think government), the further away they are from concrete goals and solutions.

  5. avatar

    Just before the election, a latino man was interviewed on a local Las Vegas TV station. He had opened a restaurant with the help of a latino minority loan. He was singing obama’s praises for being able to obtain that loan. He could speak no English and had to have an interperter. They are definitely being favored.

  6. avatar

    I AM A US CITIZEN AND I HAVE NEVER ASKED THE GOVERNMENT FOR ANYTHING,BUT MY WIFE LOST HER JOB AND WE APPLIED FOR FOOD STAMPS JUST SO WE COULD HAVE A LITTLE HELP UNTIL SHE GOT ANOTHER JOB.I WORK BUT HAVE QUITE A LOT OF BILLS, AND WE WERE DENIED. THEY SAID I MADE TO MUCH MONEY. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE TOLD THEM WE WERE’NT MARRIED THEN WE MIGHT HAVE GOT THEM. THATS WHAT THE ILLEGALS DO.

  7. avatar

    Some illegal even have Medicare they even have foodstamps.am a us person can’t even get anything.why do they get when they are illegal Obama is doing wrong.

  8. avatar

    Software engineer you look to be a whole lot younger then I. So give these readers some ideas that won’t sent them to jail, and I’ll do what I will to make being an illegal alien the worse life ever.

  9. avatar

    i feel that the illegals are treated better than the pure citizans that were born and brought up in this county of america …they get everything at their becone call …yet the true citizens are put on the back burner …

    their offerd everything free at their diposall …where is the freedom for all ?? the illegals seems to have this country and every thing free …we all work for what we have and no handouts …it’s our taxes taken care of all these people that want a free ride …i’ upset ..what is country becomeing …

    if their unhappy the way their treated in this country than go home to your own country ….

  10. avatar

    Anyone who denies that the “path to citizenship” is going to have a very high cost to this country is either lying or in denial. It’s beyond dispute. A large percentage of these people have little more than an eighth grade education. Citizenship means they become eligible for all kinds of assistance available for those who are lower income, which these people will be. It’s the height of hypocrisy for the people who say we can’t cut entitlements to then turn around and insist we put illegals on a path to eventually accessing these programs, which will only add to the burden.

    Any “deal” should include NO citizenship for anyone who came here after the age of fourteen, if that. It’s an insult to legal citizens to even propose such a thing. It’s a reward for lawbreaking. And any such deal should also include e verify for every job, and stiff mandatory penalties including immediate deportation for using ANY kind of false identification. Those restrictions are probably going to meet resistance and may sink any deal. But that would only show that those supporting amnesty are not interested in the rule of law, but simply catering to certain groups.

  11. avatar

    Illeagal aliens get qualify for welfair when they have American born children. Los Angeles County admits to paying more then $52 million a month in welfair to illegal aliens. That is more then 1/2 billion dollars ay year that LA county pays to illegal aliens. then people wonder why their government is going broke?

    No add to that the medical cost, school cost, extra insurance cost (car & Home), Police/Fire, Jail, ect, ect. . .

    Total cost estimate is more then $100 billion dollars a year, what an economic stimulas plan for to the econpmy, Something that would be easy to accomplish (enforce current laws).

    But the real problems are yet to be seen, in the youth of our country. Illegal aliens are taking the jobs that our teenagers get for their first jobs that teach them a work ethic that last them the rest of theor lives. Now our young people are not starting work until later in life, and by then they have a family and make more money on welfair. So we are now creating a complete future welfair economy.

    • avatar

      Calif. is looking as is NV. for the U.S. Government to bail them out of their illegal alien problem. If the Dumocrates ever get total control of both house’s of Congress just watch the liberal jerks try, and clean up the debt. I’m old, and will die soon, but my children, and grand kid will have no America as we knew it. I’m very sad about that, and has let me hate these louses without end.

  12. avatar

    OF COARSE WELLFARE BY ILLEGAL IMMAGRANTS IS RISING THEY ARE COMMING OVER HERE STARTING BUSSINESS’ES AND STILL DRAWING WELLFARE BECAUSE THE WOMEN CLAIM NOT TO BE MARRIED WHILE THE HUSBANDS WORK AND DRAW GOOD MONEY,THEY ARE MANIPULATING OUR WELFARE SYSTEM.

  13. avatar
    softwarengineer on

    Humanitarianism for IAs Hired By Illegal American Employers

    Is TOTALLY a moot point when our U6 unemployment rate for legal voters is currently 15%.