1. Randy Capps Immigration Studies Program The Urban Institute
Immigrant Families
and Welfare Policy
(Acknowledgments to Jeffrey S. Passel, Michael Fix) May 16, 2001 1 1

2. Immigrant Families and Welfare Policy
Immigration laws and policy -- Past -- Recent
Public benefits use
Family hardship
Unanswered questions 2 2

3. Selected Immigration Laws
Exclusions (mostly Asian)
-- Chinese (1882)
National origin quotas (1924)
Preferences replace quotas (1965)
Refugee Act (1980)
Imm. Reform & Control Act (1986)
-- Employer sanctions
-- Amnesty
Preferences expanded (1990) 2 2

4. Proposition 187 (1994) Concerns about immigrant “costs”
“Illegal” immigrants ineligible:
-- Public schools
-- Health care
Not upheld in courts
Legal immigration restrictions discussed 2 2

5. 1996 Laws:
Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA) 9 9

6. Immigration Enforcement
Border Patrol doubled
IDENT (fingerprint database)
Fraud penalties increased
“Inadmissable” group expanded
Deportations made easier
Stronger interior enforcement?? 13 13

7. Immigrant Responsibility
“Public charge” provisions
Binding “affidavit of support”
Sponsors pay back benefits
125 % poverty income required
Indirect immigration restriction? 13 13

8. Welfare Reform “Means-tested” benefits -- Welfare (TANF)
-- Food stamps
-- Health insurance (Medicaid)
“Unqualified”, post-96 = ineligible
Refugees = eligible
Naturalized = eligible
New rights for citizens?? 11 11

9. Congress Did NOT: Cut legal immigration by 40%
Change family preferences
Require 200 % poverty income
Enact Federal Proposition 187
Enhance employer sanctions 10 10

10. Following 1996 Laws: Enforcement spending up
Deportations and detentions up
Border deaths up
Immigrant benefits use down
Immigration not down
Naturalizations up
Family hardship ?? 10 10

11. Poor Immigrants Use Less Welfare; Refugees Use More
Percent of families with incomes <200% poverty in program (1998 CPS) 21 21

12. Welfare Use Down
Percent of families receiving welfare, by status (CPS) 30 30 30 11 15 19 11

13. Food Stamps Use Down More
Percent of families receiving food stamps, by status (CPS) 30 30 30 11 15 19 11

14. Health Insurance Down, Too
Percent of families participating in Medicaid, by status (CPS) 30 30 30 11 15 19 11

15. Patterns vary by state:
Possible eligibility differences
-- Benefits to post-96 legal imms.
-- Benefits to "unqualified” imms.
California
Other "generous" states (NY, FL)
Not so generous states (TX, AZ)
“Chilling” effects ?? 10 10

16. As do poverty rates:
Percent in families with incomes < 100% poverty (1999 NSAF) 17 17 18 16

17. Food problems also vary ...
Percent in families with problems affording food (1999 NSAF) 17 17 18 16

18. Children are uninsured:
Percent of Children with no health insurance (1999 NSAF) 17 17 18 16

19. They live in crowded housing:
Percent in families with more than 2 people per bedroom (1999 NSAF) 17 17 18 16

20. Unanswered questions:
Will participation keep falling?
Will hardship rise?
How do trends vary by state?
Are there chilling effects?
Will benefits be restored?
Are policies deterring migration?? 10 10

21. For more information, contact:
Randy Capps, Ph.D.
Immigration Studies Program
Population Studies Center Urban Institute 2100 M St., N.W. Washington, D.C
(202) 37 37