Explainer: Immigrants and the Use of Public Benefits in the United States

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) has released an explainer one detailing immigrant public benefit eligibility and use at the federal level in programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.  It begins:

“Other than refugees, noncitizens living in the United States face significant restrictions on access to public benefits funded by the federal government, including programs such as Medicaid, food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and cash assistance programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). This is particularly the case for unauthorized immigrants, who except in very limited circumstances are barred from all federally funded public benefits.”

The explainer examines benefits use, with research finding that eligible immigrants often use benefits at lower rates than the U.S. born.

For a more detailed analysis of immigrant eligibility for U.S. public benefits, check out the MPI primer.

KJ