January 3, 2008 9:37 AM
Listening to NPR's Morning Edition Wednesday in the car, I heard a "woman on the streets" interview with a Texan who said she thought the most important issue in the presidential race is illegal immigration. She complained that she had tried to get on welfare, but had been turned down because too many illegal immigrants were using it.
OK. I won't even try to address the belief that immigrants somehow have an easier time getting welfare than the White folks, something I hear all the time. Or the notion that human services offices have some sort of quota for giving out public assistance, and that once it is filled up [presumable by "illegals"], then everyone else is turned away. I just want to deal with the issue of whether undocumented immigrants can get federal welfare benefits at all.
As the Urban Institute reports, "undocumented immigrants are ineligible for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits." So if you go to the welfare office and get denied benefits, blame it on the bureaucrats, the politicians, or yourself. Please don't blame the undocumented immigrants.
By the way, if you're interested in the most common myths about illegal immigration, here is the Urban Institute's mythbusting page.