The households of immigrants, legal and illegal, use welfare at a significantly higher rate than native-born households. This was the finding of a recent study by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) based on data from the 2022 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP).
The study stated that “The 2022 SIPP indicates that 54 percent of households headed by immigrants — naturalized citizens, legal residents, and illegal immigrants — used one or more major welfare program. This compares to 39 percent for U.S.-born households.”
CIS notes that reluctance to work is not the reason why immigrants disproportionately receive welfare. Their work participation rate is actually higher than that of natives. The reason is that they tend to work in low-age jobs with income thresholds which entitle them to assistance.
Business interests often encourage mass immigration to boost profits by keeping wages low. As a consequence, taxpayers as they fund welfare are forced to subsidize the profits derived from cheap labor. This subsidy amounts to corporate welfare, which allows the rich get richer at public expense.
Read more at cis.org