Restoring An Inclusionary Safety Net For Children In Immigrant Families: A Review Of Three Social Policies

Abstract

Since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, known as "welfare reform," in 1996, US social policy has increasingly stratified immigrants by legality, extending eligibility exclusions, benefit limitations, and administrative burdens not only to undocumented immigrants but also to lawful permanent residents and US citizens in immigrant families. This stratification is a form of structural discrimination, which is a social determinant of health. Children in immigrant families, most of whom are US citizens, have not been able to fully realize the benefits from social safety-net programs-including the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act stimulus payments. Policy deliberations over pandemic recovery, the equity focus of the Biden administration, and proposals to address child poverty provide an opportunity to reexamine immigrant exclusions, restrictions, and administrative burdens in public programs. We discuss immigrant stratification by legal status in social policy and review how it affects citizen children in mixed-status families in three safety-net programs: the Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Child Care and Development Block Grant. We provide eight policy recommendations to restore equity to the social safety net for children in immigrant families.

Working around safety net exclusions during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of rural Latinx immigrants

“…Respondents viewed the resources that eligible family members obtained as critical, albeit limited support. This is consistent with research that shows how mixed-status families are excluded from many resources ( Acevedo-Garcia et al, 2021 ), but also highlights the need for further understanding of how families make decisions regarding legal status eligibility. For example, through key informants we learned how providers work with clients to connect families to resources via a family member with legal status.…”

Social safety net programs and food sufficiency during COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

“…A possible explanation for the lack of association between SNAP and food sufficiency among Hispanic households can be linked to under-enrollment in the program among the Latinx immigration population facing logistical barriers or fears of immigration repercussions, which have resulted in the distrust of public services, as noted by Pelto et al (2020). And, this has had significant implications for program participation in Latinx communities, as their participation in SNAP and other social safety net programs is at lower rates than the national average in recent times (Acevedo-Garcia et al , 2021; Payán et al , 2021).…”

Integration and coordination across public benefit programs: Insights from state and local government leaders in the United States

“…( Fox et al, n.d ) Creating these human-centered systems and reducing administrative burdens could be especially important for vulnerable populations that struggle to navigate the public benefit system, such as immigrant populations, older adults, and people with disabilities. ( Schweitzer, 2022 , Acevedo-Garcia et al, 2021 , Bitler et al, 2020 ) For example, among mixed immigrant status families, automatic enrollment into all eligible programs may promote coverage and program uptake. ( Acevedo-Garcia et al, 2021 , Bitler et al, 2020 ).…”