December 1, 2012
By: Bob Wilson
examiner.com


CBP Officer processing an immigrant
Credits: US Customs and Border Protection

A report by the Center for Immigration Studies (Center for Immigration Studies | Low-immigration, Pro-immigrant) reveals some startling figures about welfare use by families headed by immigrants.

“In 2010, 36 percent of immigrant-headed households used at least one major welfare program (primarily food assistance and Medicaid) compared to 23 percent of native households,” summarizes the document which was published by the Center for Immigration Studies and examines a wide variety of topics relating to immigration. Click HERE to read the full report.

The document breaks down the immigrant families by country of origin and gives specific types of welfare and percentages of the families that used it in 2010. An average fewer than 23 percent of native households use some type of “welfare” which is specifically defined in the study. 36 percent of households headed by immigrants use some type of welfare. Families headed by immigrants from specific countries or areas of the world range from just over 6 percent for those immigrants from Great Britain to more than 57 percent of those from Mexico using some type of welfare.

This comprehensive study suggests there are approximately 40 million immigrants in the United States of which more than a 25 percent of that number, and the largest overall group, originate from Mexico. The study estimates that approximately 28 percent of immigrants, or just over 11 million, are within the United States illegally. The study also suggests that nearly 50 percent of those immigrants originating from Mexico and Central America are here illegally.

This report is very comprehensive and examines various statistics of immigrants currently residing in the United States. Overall, state and federal aid use by immigrant families is much higher than that used by families headed by citizens of the United States.

The large population of immigrants, both legal and illegal in Eastern Washington and even Spokane affects the states budget dramatically.

The approaching fiscal cliff is forcing congress and the current administration to contemplate cuts to services. Welfare use by immigrants, both illegally and legally within the United States, should be thoroughly examined and considered while making cuts.

Fifty-seven percent of Mexican immigrants on welfare - Spokane Immigration | Examiner.com