More than Half of Immigrants in the US are on Welfare

More than half of the nation's immigrants, 51%, receive some kind of government welfare, a figure that's far higher than the native-born population's, according to a report to be released Wednesday.

Those numbers increase for households with children, with 76% of immigrant-led households receiving welfare, compared to 52% for the native-born.

The findings are sure to fuel debate on the presidential campaign trail as Republican candidates focus on changing the nation's immigration laws, from calls for mass deportations to ending birthright citizenship.

Steven Camarota, director of research at the center and author of the report, said that's a much-needed conversation to make the country's immigration system more "selective."

The majority of immigrants using welfare come from Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. The use of welfare is lower for immigrants from East Asia (32%), Europe (26%) and South Asia (17%).

Continue Reading at - http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/01/immigrant-welfare-use-report/71517072/