Safety Net Barriers Add to Child Poverty in Immigrant Families
“Children of immigrants, the fastest-growing group of American youths, have poverty rates more than twice those of other children. That is partly because their families earn less than native workers, but also because they face more barriers to government support. The barriers are largest for children of undocumented immigrants, but families of legal immigrants face obstacles, too. More than 40 percent of the country’s poor children are children of immigrants. While most are American citizens, about half have an undocumented parent, which bars the whole household from some government benefits. For parents who immigrated legally, obstacles to aid include waiting periods, language barriers and lack of program knowledge.”