As Leah wrote yesterday, there’s a huge spike in illegal aliens pouring across the border. The exodus from Central America has reportedly created the largest case of mass immigration since the 1980s. These people are often poor and need assistance in order to survive. When American citizens fall on hard times, they look to the social safety net. For some in Washington, they’re designing the net to trap the working poor into government dependence, instead of a temporary cushion from total disaster.
That’s a separate debate, but for those American families receiving government assistance, I’m sure they’re probably not happy that illegals are receiving over $1,200 more in benefits every year (via Washington Examiner):
llegal immigrant households receive an average of $5,692 in federal welfare benefits every year, far more than the average "native" American household, at $4,431, according to a new report on the cost of immigration released Monday.The Center for Immigration Studies, in an analysis of federal cost figures, found that all immigrant-headed households — legal and illegal — receive an average of $6,241 in welfare, 41 percent more than native households. As with Americans receiving benefits such as food stamps and cash, much of the welfare to immigrants supplements their low wage jobs.
The total cost is over $103 billion in welfare benefits to households headed by immigrants. A majority, 51 percent, of immigrant households receive some type of welfare compared to 30 percent of native households, said the analysis of Census data.
As the 2016 general election campaign begins (we know Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be the nominees), you can bet that Trump will bring up this issue on the campaign trail, and you can surely bet the mortgage that if Hillary wins in November—this problem will be left untouched by her administration.