I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Madam Chairman. Democrats have been arguing today that noncitizens are less likely to receive welfare than citizens. but the leading scholar in this area. whose name is George Boras of the Kennedy School. says just the opposite. We have a chart here that I would like Members to look at. These numbers are percentages of households receiving welfare programs. The first line says "Aid to Families with Dependent Children." our AFDC program. 4.4 percent of immigrant households receive this kind of aid. as opposed to 2.9 percent of folks who are citizens of the United States. and the chart continues. In short. Madam Chairman. I just want to say that there is simply no question that some Members are today on this floor spreading misinformation. Welfare for noncitizens has gotten out of hand. We have an opportunity through this legislation to change that. Madam Chairman. I would say. too. that America is a generous country. We welcome legal immigrants into this Nation. as long as they are here because they want to take advantage of a nation of opportunity. But we can no longer ask our citizens who work for a living to support people who are not citizens of the United States.
Identified stereotypes
Noncitizens are more likely to receive welfare than citizens.