Fact Check Analysis

The claim is MOSTLY TRUE but requires important context.

Key Findings:

• The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) did publish research showing that 46% of working non-citizen households use one or more traditional welfare programs¹ - this figure comes from their 2019 analysis of Census data.

• CIS also reported that 47% of all non-citizen households (not just working ones) use traditional welfare programs¹, so the 46% figure is very close to their published findings.

• The 2022 CIS report shows even higher overall welfare use for non-citizen households at 58.6% when including all major programs².

Important Context:

• Methodology matters: CIS counts benefits received by U.S.-born children of non-citizens as "non-citizen welfare use" - these children are American citizens eligible for programs regardless of their parents' immigration status¹.

• What counts as "welfare": CIS includes programs like Medicaid, food stamps (SNAP), WIC, school lunch/breakfast, and housing assistance in their "traditional welfare" definition¹.

• Working households: The 46% figure specifically applies to working non-citizen households, not all non-citizens - CIS notes that 88% of non-citizen households have at least one worker, compared to 70% of U.S.-born households¹.

• Controversy: The Center for Immigration Studies is described as a "restrictionist" organization, and other research groups like the Cato Institute have published studies showing immigrants use public benefits at lower rates than native-born citizens³.

Overall validity: 85%

1. Non-Citizen Use of Welfare by Region and Country of Birth
2. Welfare Use by Immigrants and the U.S.-Born, 2022
3. [PDF] Immigrants and Public Benefits: What Does the Research Say?