America’s taxpayer-funded welfare system was built to protect struggling citizens — not to bankroll those who broke our laws and violated U.S. sovereignty to get here. Yet the just-concluded government shutdown further exposed how millions of illegal aliens are now tapping into benefits that hardworking Americans depend on to survive.
One of the more unfortunate consequences of the record-long shutdown, which finally concluded last week, was a lapse in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beginning on November 1. Although the Trump administration has now directed states to “take immediate steps” to ensure families receive their full November benefits, many were forced to choose between putting food on the table and paying rent or utilities. Some food banks reportedly saw demand surge as much as 1,800 percent.
More than 42 million people in nearly 23 million households receive benefits through SNAP, which cost taxpayers about $100 billion in 2024. But while many of those recipients are Americans in need of a helping hand, the shutdown also highlighted shocking levels of fraud and abuse in the program – including illegal aliens receiving benefits.
Under federal law, illegal aliens are ineligible for SNAP and most other federal welfare programs. The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, also known as “welfare reform,” signed by President Bill Clinton, ostensibly bans illegal aliens from receiving public benefits.
But in reality, millions of illegal aliens are on SNAP and other taxpayer-funded benefit programs, either through direct fraud or by exploiting glaring loopholes in the law. Many illegal aliens have children who were born in the United States, allowing them to claim benefits in their child’s name.
The principle is simple: if someone comes to this country – especially illegally – they should not be a drain on safety nets designed for and paid for by law-abiding Americans. Even if a child is an American citizen by birth, that does not change the fact that his parents are here in the country without the ability to support themselves or their children, burdening American taxpayers.
A 2023 report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) on widespread SNAP abuse by illegal aliens began making the rounds online earlier this month as debate over the program ramped up. “Of households headed by illegal immigrants, CIS estimated that 59 percent use one or more welfare programs — cash, food assistance, Medicaid, or housing,” CIS found.
“In particular, our analysis found that 17 percent of illegal immigrant households used SNAP,” the report reads. In raw numbers, that means five to seven million illegal aliens are getting free money from American taxpayers, costing billions of dollars annually.
“In addition to food programs, 18 percent of illegal immigrant households were enrolled in one of the cash programs; 4 percent were using a housing program; and 39 percent used Medicaid,” CIS reported.
The report predates other shocking revelations about the cost of illegal immigration to U.S. taxpayers. A 2024 Congressional Budget Office report found that “the Biden-Harris Administration’s open border agenda cost federal and state taxpayers more than $16.2 billion to provide Medicaid-funded emergency services to illegal aliens since taking office,” according to the U.S. House Budget Committee.
“This is a staggering increase of 124% compared to the same period under the Trump Administration,” the House Budget Committee said.
Even more shockingly, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has reported that some states are actively trying to hide SNAP fraud. “On my first day @USDA, we told every state to send us their SNAP data so we could make sure illegal immigrants aren’t getting benefits meant for American families,” Rollins posted on X a day after SNAP funding expired…”29 states stepped up. 21 blue states refused — and two SUED US FOR ASKING!”
The issue of illegal aliens on welfare “raises important policy questions, including whether it makes sense to have an immigration system that allows in so many people who turn to taxpayers to support their children,” Steven Camarota, director of research for CIS, pointed out in a new commentary.
America’s immigration system is incredibly generous, with more than 180 types of visas available for all sorts of special cases. The country can accept a limited number of truly desperate individuals who are fleeing severe poverty, but the primary focus of our system should be to attract the best and brightest who make our country wealthier and more prosperous – and who arrive here through legal channels.
As Vice President JD Vance has so eloquently put it earlier this year, citizens should first take care of their own family, then their neighbors, and then their country. Millions of Americans, even those in the ever-shrinking middle class, are struggling to make ends meet and deal with a growing affordability crisis.
They shouldn’t be forced to shell out their hard-earned tax dollars to pay for individuals who have no right to be here in the first place. They also shouldn’t be asked to feed and clothe the rest of the world when they can barely put food on their own tables.
Matt Lamb is an associate editor for The College Fix. He previously worked for Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action, and Turning Point USA. He previously interned for Open the Books. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, LifeSiteNews, Human Life Review, Headline USA, and other outlets. The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him @mattlamb22 on X.
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