A new analysis reveals that over half of immigrant households in the U.S. rely on public assistance, with non-citizens leading the pack. These taxpayer-funded subsidies raise serious questions about the long-term fiscal impact of mass immigration.
Key Facts:
- 54% of immigrant-headed households use at least one major welfare program, compared to 39% of U.S.-born households.
- Non-citizen households show the highest usage at 59%.
- Illegal immigrants often receive benefits through their U.S.-born children, or directly via state programs and federal work permits like DACA and TPS.
- Even when excluding school meals and WIC, 46% of immigrant households still use major welfare programs, vs. 33% for U.S.-born.
- Despite high workforce participation—83% for immigrants and 94% for illegals—welfare use remains disproportionately high.
The Rest of The Story:
Data from the Center for Immigration Studies shows that immigrant households, especially those headed by non-citizens, are significantly more likely to use public assistance programs than households headed by U.S.-born individuals.
While many immigrants work, their earnings are often too low to support their families without government help.
These benefits include food aid like SNAP, Medicaid coverage, and refundable tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).
For example, 36% of immigrant households use food assistance compared to 25% of U.S.-born households.
Medicaid participation follows a similar pattern—37% versus 25%.
Critics often argue that illegal immigrants can’t receive public benefits.
However, many states extend Medicaid and food aid to certain illegal immigrants.
And many undocumented immigrants qualify for work permits under federal programs like DACA and asylum, making them eligible for programs like the EITC.
Moreover, illegal immigrants frequently receive benefits through their U.S.-born children.
Even after removing low-cost programs such as school meals and WIC, immigrant households still show higher welfare dependency.
The gap remains significant: 46% of immigrant households versus 33% of native-born households using major taxpayer-funded programs.
While 83% of immigrant households and 94% of illegal immigrant households have at least one working member, this labor does not appear to be enough to make them economically self-sufficient.
As one critic put it, “There is no ‘cheap labor’—only corporate subsidies at our taxpayer expense.”
According to data from the Center for Immigration Studies (pro-immigrant), many immigrants work for extremely low wages, which are then subsidized by taxpayers through public assistance.
The argument that "someone has to pick your lettuce" is dead; there is no "cheap labor"…
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) July 13, 2025
Commentary:
This data tells a story the open-borders crowd doesn’t want to hear.
The narrative that immigrants “just come here to work hard and chase the American Dream” is only part of the truth.
Yes, many work hard—but the numbers show they still require substantial taxpayer support to stay afloat.
This isn’t just an immigration problem. It’s a national fiscal disaster.
Programs like Medicaid and SNAP were never designed to act as long-term crutches for entire foreign populations working in the U.S. undercutting market wages.
This setup isn’t fair to American taxpayers, and it isn’t sustainable.
President Trump was right to demand mass deportations and stronger border controls.
The U.S. cannot afford to support millions of foreign nationals who are a net drain on public resources.
The cost isn’t just financial—it’s social, political, and cultural.
Joe Biden and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas took deliberate actions to dismantle our border enforcement system.
They invited this flood of dependency with full knowledge of the consequences.
That’s not failed policy—it’s betrayal. And let’s not pretend this is accidental.
The influx of low-wage workers helps big business suppress wages while shifting the burden to the public.
Taxpayers foot the bill while corporate America pockets the profits.
It’s a cozy arrangement for elites—and a raw deal for everyone else.
It’s time to stop pretending we can absorb the world’s poor without breaking the bank.
No country can survive long when its welfare system is stretched to support not just its own citizens but millions of foreign nationals too.
There must be accountability for what Biden and Mayorkas did.
The Bottom Line:
The data confirms what many Americans already feel: mass immigration is not fiscally neutral.
It’s costly—and the bill is coming due.
Stronger immigration enforcement and deportation are not only about security; they’re about protecting America’s economic future.
It’s time to stop subsidizing “cheap” labor with taxpayer dollars.
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