Alien Households Use More Welfare Than American Households: Study

A recent study by Steven Camarota and Karen Zeigler published in the Centers for Immigration Studies has found that alien households consume welfare at substantially higher rates than American households.

“We find that non-citizen households use one or more means-tested programs at substantially higher rates than the U.S.-born in virtually every state,” the study said. “This is the case despite restrictions on non-citizens directly receiving some benefits, significant differences across states in non-citizens’ country of birth, and state welfare systems.”

The numbers are clear, foreigners are sucking off of the American financial tit.

“Of households headed by non-citizens, 47 percent use one or more traditional welfare programs, 19 percentage points higher than the 28 percent for U.S.-born households. The non-citizen rate rises to 57 percent when eligibility for the EITC [Earned Income Tax Credit] or ACTC [Additional Child Tax Credit] is added, compared to 34 percent for the U.S.-born,” the study said. “In states with larger non-citizen populations, their receipt of traditional welfare and/or EITC/ACTC eligibility exceeds the U.S.-born by the largest margins in Maryland (59 percent for non-citizen vs. 28 percent for the U.S.-born), Arizona (60 percent vs. 30 percent), New York (65 percent vs. 37 percent), and North Carolina (59 percent vs. 33 percent).”

The more welfare a state offers, the more aliens take.

“Non-citizens use traditional welfare or are EITC/ACTC eligible at higher rates than the U.S.-born in states with generous welfare systems, such as Massachusetts (61 percent vs. 36 percent) and Illinois (51 percent vs. 30 percent); and in states with less generous systems, like Arizona (60 percent vs. 30 percent) and Florida (53 percent vs. 30 percent),” the study said.

The study also documented that about half of the foreigners within the U.S. are illegal aliens, while the other half are legal aliens.

“About half of non-citizens are illegal immigrants, with lawful permanent residents making up most of the remaining,” the study said.

The authors explained the loopholes illegal aliens use to attain welfare money.

“Restrictions on welfare eligibility have a modest impact on non-citizen overall use rates primarily because: 1) non-citizens, including illegal immigrants, can receive benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born children; 2) the bar does not apply to all non-citizens or all programs; 3) some states provide welfare to ineligible immigrants on their own; and 4) most legal immigrants have lived here long enough to qualify for welfare,” the study said.

The findings also make clear that the aliens are not just siphoning off taxpayer money, but that those very same foreign welfare recipients are siphoning off American jobs at the same time.

“Heavy non-citizen use of means-tested programs is not explained by their unwillingness to work. A larger share of non-citizen households have a worker than do U.S.-born households. But qualifying for a program reflects income, number of dependents, and sometimes assets, not employment. The relatively low education level of many non-citizens and their resulting low incomes means they or their U.S.-born children often qualify for means-tested programs at high rates,” the study said.

Alex Jones Live recently reported how nearly all new American jobs have gone to foreigners, yet foreigners are also major welfare recipients.