Illegal Aliens Cancel SNAP Benefits for Fear of Being Deported
“1.5 million noncitizens received food stamps in the 2015 fiscal year”
Obama, dubbed “the food stamp president,” presided over an alarming increase in the number of people on food stamps: as of 2013, there was a 70% increase from 2008 in the number of people on food stamps.
Now it appears that illegal aliens, as well as legal aliens and those illegals who head households that include legal aliens, are cancelling their SNAP benefits because of their perception that being on food stamps will either draw the attention of ICE or impair their chance of becoming U. S. citizens.
In the two months since President Trump’s inauguration, food banks and hunger advocates around the country have noted a decline in the number of eligible immigrants applying for SNAP — and an uptick in immigrants seeking to withdraw from the program.
Their fear, advocates say, is that participation could draw the eye of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or hurt their chances of attaining citizenship. Without federal nutrition benefits, many are resorting to food pantries and soup kitchens to feed themselves and their children.
The evidence is still anecdotal — and The Washington Post was unable to speak directly with immigrants who chose to cancel their SNAP benefits.
“This is a response to the climate of fear and terror that immigrant families are living in because of the Trump administration,” said Jackie Vimo, a policy analyst at the National Immigration Law Center. “These are unfounded fears. But they’re based in this environment, and they’re very widespread.”
According to the Department of Agriculture, 1.5 million noncitizens received food stamps in the 2015 fiscal year, as did 3.9 million citizen children living with noncitizen adults.
. . . . Legal immigrants worry that receiving SNAP could reflect on them negatively during the citizenship vetting process. Undocumented immigrants, applying on behalf of their children, are increasingly wary about any interaction with the government.
In 2013, then Senator Jeff Sessions requested further information about the number of people on food stamps and about those households in which illegal aliens apply for benefits on behalf of eligible legal members of the household.
“You emphasized that food stamp eligibility ‘has never been extended’ to illegal aliens. However, as you know, illegal immigrants can apply for food stamp benefits on behalf of eligible members of their households,” he wrote.
“To the extent that illegal immigrants do not have to expend their own resources to purchase food on behalf of others, they obviously benefit from that taxpayer-funded assistance. Does your Department have any estimates of total SNAP benefits provided to households headed by an illegal immigrant on behalf of eligible dependents?” Sessions asked, going on to request similar information on legal immigrants with illegal dependents.
In 2016, a report was released that showed “food stamp benefits average about $255 a month per household, suggesting that the the [sic] yearly payout to households with illegals ranges from $1.4 billion to $2.14 billion.”
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Comments
Ah, yes, the “food stamp President” – that’s raaaaaacist, isn’t it?! smh
It is appalling how vacuous the left are, and depressing how easily they get away with their hate-baiting, all by invoking Rule 13 of Alinsky’s Rules, thus marginalizing and neutering the reality this post chronicles.
LOL
RE: “Ah, yes, the “food stamp President” – that’s raaaaaacist, isn’t it?!”
But only if you’re Kenyan! LOL SNARK!!!!!
Another point – since when do food banks TAKE REGISTRATIONS for SNAP?! They are places to receive and distribute foodstuffs – i.e. a FOOD BANK – not a government-advocate center to register people for welfare benefits!
Another head-shaking revelation……..
Huh? Where did you get the idea that they do any such thing? They are noting that people are dropping out of food stamps; how did you conclude that they are signing people up for them?
The report Marie is referencing is not clear, and it is reasonable, from the wording, to conclude that food banks are registering illegals and households with illegals. The food banks, however, are probably basing their assumption about the declining numbers on some higher level of people seeking food at food banks (rather than via SNAP).
It’s actually difficult to find hard data on all this stuff because illegals aren’t supposed to be getting SNAP benefits but do, even if there are no SNAP-eligible legal aliens in the household. Sessions requested it, but I can’t find any evidence that he ever received it.
“Registering” them to vote for Democrats would be my assumption……
But what do I know as a U.S. Citizen…….
I thought the left told us that Illegal Immigrants were not using social services, not committing Social Security fraud and that they are paying income taxes.
So this is either Fake News or the Left and the Media is lying to us(nooooo way)!
Self censorship and self deportation, Trumps plan already starting to work!
applying for food stamps on behalf of eligible household members is not fraud.
Re: Milhouse:
Regrettably, his statement is true. Anchor babies qualify, so momma can go get our money for them.
I had a friend who runs a convenience store tell me she had a mexican come in, and this mexican had $3,000 on her ebt card. The stores can see the card balances when they run the card to pay for the charges.
So, there is nothing but anecdotal evidence (i.e rumors) and The Washington Post was unable to speak with even a single illegal immigrant who had withdrawn from the SNAP program?
That sounds like absolutely nothing but fear-mongering to me.
NOTE: It is winter. Food pantry usage is ALWAYS higher in the winter, just as it was 30 years ago when I ran a food pantry. People have to pay increased utility bills and provide for heat, so there is less money available to cover the part of the grocery bill that food stamps does not cover.
I came to the USA legally in 1985 and I still remember clearly the interview at the American consulate and the fact that I had to demonstrate that I was economically self-sufficient and that I would not be a burden to the state. So how is it possible that someone here illegally is able to collect government benefits? My brother was so angered about this that he voted for Trump just on his message about illegal immigration.
Very simple, as the article says explicitly; you can still claim benefits for any eligible people who live in your household, e.g. your US-born children.
This is happening to almost all of the government programs that are “Supposed” to not allow illegals to participate but somehow do. hillary was going to put all 20 million of them on Medicaid once she was in the WH. Now the left is saying using someone else’s ID/SS# is not really a crime since it is to feed their starving children. Is there any leftist’s program that is sustainable?
Oh, that JEB love thing.
and an uptick in immigrants seeking to withdraw from the program.
Well, there’s a red flag for ICE … who has recently tried to lie low by giving up his chance to grab some free money?
Although, as usual, this recent flurry of numbers mixes apples and oranges … and throws in some bananas as well. The Media are hot & heavy on this story right now, but aren’t straining to make things clearer.
Immigrants are not the big issue here. Illegals are.
SNAP is a large expense and merits more careful reporting—$2.14 billion is quite a number, in fact just shy of the current $2.2 billion Federal interest payment on the entire national debt.
current $2.2 billion
Oops, sorry,that’s not current, that’s the 2011 number.