A majority of households headed by illegal immigrants in the United States receive some form of government welfare, largely through benefits accessed by U.S.-born children, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the Center for Immigration Studies.
The study, based on 2024 Census Bureau data, found that 61% of illegal immigrant–headed households use at least one major welfare program, compared with 37% of households headed by U.S.-born citizens. Roughly half of all immigrant-headed households overall were found to receive welfare benefits.
It isn’t just Minnesota, and it isn’t just from fraud. New data from @CIS_org reveals the high cost of immigrant welfare.
Steven Camarota breaks it down in @commonplc. https://t.co/n0lbAClZLg
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) February 9, 2026
Federal law generally bars illegal immigrants from directly receiving most public assistance programs. However, the report notes that their U.S.-born children are eligible for a range of benefits, including food assistance, school lunch programs, and public health coverage. In some states, additional benefits are also available regardless of immigration status.
Steven A. Camarota, the Center’s director of research, said the findings challenge the argument that illegal immigrants do not impose costs on public welfare systems.
“While the adults may be restricted, the household is not,” Camarota said in the report, arguing that current law has been “relatively ineffective” at limiting welfare use connected to illegal immigration.
According to the analysis, illegal immigrant households were more likely than native-born households to participate in most major assistance programs. Food assistance was used by 44% of illegal immigrant households, double the rate of U.S.-born households. Medicaid participation was also higher, with 44% of illegal immigrant households using the program, compared with 27% of native-born households and 38% of legal immigrant households.
Cash assistance was used by 21% of both legal and illegal immigrant households, compared with 15% of U.S.-born households. Housing assistance was the only category where illegal immigrant households had lower usage rates than other groups.
