Analysis: Nearly Half of Immigrant Households in U.S. Are on Welfare

Nearly half of households headed by immigrants, those legally and illegally living in the United States, are on one or more forms of welfare, a Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) analysis of Census Bureau data reveals.

The CIS analysis looked at the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement to learn which countries have the most immigrant welfare-users in the U.S.

Overall, about 47 percent of households headed by immigrants are on one or more forms of welfare. When the Earned Income Tax Credit or the Additional Child Tax Credit is included as welfare, that percentage rises to 54 percent.

Meanwhile, just 28 percent of households headed by native-born Americans are on welfare, and just 31 percent are on welfare that includes both tax credits.

Countries with the highest welfare-users in the U.S. include Afghanistan, 87 percent, the Dominican Republic, 78 percent, Guatemala, 77 percent, Honduras, 75 percent, and Mexico, 67 percent.

Meanwhile, immigrant households from Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada, and India have the lowest welfare usage among the nation’s immigrant population.

“Although most new legal immigrants and illegal immigrants are barred from accessing most means-tested programs, these restrictions have not prevented a large share of non-citizen-headed households from accessing the welfare system,” CIS researchers write.

“This is primarily because non-citizens often receive benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born children and the restrictions only apply to some programs,” they continue. “These facts coupled with the large share of non-citizens who have modest levels of education and their resulting low incomes mean many can use means-tested anti-poverty programs.”

Annually, the U.S. gives green cards to about a million legal immigrants, in addition to about a million foreign nationals who arrive on temporary work visas. Most notably, the nation’s illegal alien population ranges from anywhere between 11 to 22 million.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com.