Strange Information About Immigration

The lower rates of safety net use among poor non-citizens are not surprising given that many non-citizens are ineligible for these programs because they are undocumented or have arrived within the past five years (newly admitted permanent residents are barred from receiving federally-funded safety net benefits for five years). The agency at that time argued that use of these non-cash programs did not constitute dependency on the government in the sense meant by "public charge", and noted that, in many cases, these programs enabled self-sufficiency. The rule likely would have a chilling effect on use of public programs by non-citizens…