State Policies Can Promote Immigrant Children’s Economic Security

This is an excerpt from the full brief.

About 20 percent of this country’s children—nearly 17 million—have at least one foreign-born parent. These children are more likely to be low income and to experience other hardships than children with native-born parents. Altogether, children of immigrants comprise more than 26 percent of all low-income children in the United States. However, they are less likely than other children to benefit from government programs designed to assist low-income families.

Immigrant families’ access to key public benefits—food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance, Supplementary Security Income (SSI), and public health insurance for children and parents—varies greatly based on where they live. Changes in federal policies over the last decade have left states with increased discretion to determine immigrants’ access to these supports. States’ choices, particularly in states with large or quickly growing immigrant populations, can make a significant impact on the economic security of children in immigrant families.

This brief is the second in a series that explores key policy issues related to children in low-income immigrant families. The first brief examined the impact of federal policies on immigrant families’ access to key income and employment supports. This brief continues the discussion by exploring the important role played by states in determining immigrant families’ eligibility for public benefits.