Replies to post #457464 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[blackhawks]

As usual you are misinformed. You NEED to believe your misinformation to keep you simmering with resentment and faux grievance nurturing, none of which is conducive to physical and emotional health, and you need your steady diet of bullshit to fall for the blathering of complete f'ing morons like Orange Hitler.

https://immigrationforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Immigrants-and-Public-Benefits-FINALupdated.pdf

Are undocumented immigrants eligible for federal public benefit programs?

Generally no. Undocumented immigrants, including DACA holders, are ineligible to
receive most federal public benefits, including means-tested benefits such as Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, sometimes referred to as food stamps), regular Medicaid,
Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Undocumented immigrants are ineligible for health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act
(ACA) and are prohibited from purchasing unsubsidized health coverage on ACA exchanges.
Undocumented immigrants may be eligible for a handful of benefits that are deemed necessary to
protect life or guarantee safety in dire situations, such as emergency Medicaid, access to treatment
in hospital emergency rooms, or access to healthcare and nutrition programs under the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Are legal immigrants eligible for federal public benefit programs?

Only those with lawful permanent resident (LPR) status, but not until they have
resided as a legal resident for five years. LPRs – sometimes referred to as green card
holders – do not have full access to all public benefit programs and are subject to limitations
before being eligible for federal means-tested benefits, including Medicaid, the Children's Health
Insurance Program (CHIP), TANF, SNAP, and SSI. Such limitations include the “five-year bar,”
which requires the individual to have maintained LPR status in the U.S. for five years before being
eligible for benefits.

How much do legal immigrants use federal public benefit programs?

Legal immigrants use federal public benefit programs at lower rates than U.S.-born
citizens. As recently as 2013, the rate at which non-citizens have used public benefit programs
was less than that of U.S.-born citizens. For example, 32.5 percent of native-born citizen adults
receive SNAP benefits compared to 25.4 percent of naturalized citizen adults and 29 percent of
noncitizen adults. In addition to immigrants’ lower rate of SNAP usage, they also receive lower
benefit values, costing the program less.

How much do immigrants contribute to support public benefits programs?

Both documented and undocumented immigrants pay more into public benefit
programs than they take out. According to Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy,
undocumented immigrants contribute an estimated $11.74 billion to state and local economies
each year. However, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for many of the federal or state
benefits that their tax dollars help fund.

Additionally, a few states have completed studies demonstrating that immigrants pay more in
taxes than they receive in government services and benefits. A study in Arizona found that the
state’s immigrants generate $2.4 billion in tax revenue per year, which more than offsets the $1.4
billion in their use of benefit programs. Another study in Florida estimated that, on a per capita
basis, immigrants in the state pay nearly $1,500 more in taxes per capita than they receive in
public benefits.