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AP: State slashes food aid for children of illegals
Published 1/23/2012 in News
TOPEKA (AP) — Kansas welfare officials have eliminated or slashed food stamp benefits for hundreds of low-income, U.S.-born children whose parents are illegal immigrants.
The cuts are the result of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services changing the way it counts household income when determining who is eligible for the food stamp program — now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
The Kansas City Star reported that families affected by the change are those that contain a mixture of legal citizens and illegal immigrants. While illegal immigrants are not eligible for the food assistance, U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants can be.
The issue is that the formula now includes the entire income of all members of a household, but calculates food stamp eligibility as if the citizen children are the only people in the household. Previously, SRS counted only a portion if one or more members did not provide proof of legal U.S. residency.
Since the change took effect Oct. 1, food pantries, churches and social service agencies have been inundated with questions and requests for food.
"We have families who really are desperate," said Elena Morales of El Centro, an anti-poverty agency in Kansas City, Kan. "These food stamps were making a difference for families to be able to provide nutritional food for their children, or food at all. . This policy not only hurts these families, it hurts us, too, especially because we're talking about U.S. citizen children."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Kansas is one of only four states opting to use this policy. The others are Arizona, Utah and Nebraska.
"This is not a time, with this economy, when we should be withdrawing help from struggling families with children," said Stacy Dean, vice president for food assistance policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington. "We have a demonstrated problem of food insecurity in this country and, in Kansas, this policy takes you further away from being able to solve the problem. It exacerbates the problem."
SRS spokeswoman Angela de Rocha said the old formula gave households with illegal immigrants more benefits than some households with all U.S. citizens.
"Now, all households' incomes are treated equally," de Rocha said. "Prior to the policy change . U.S. citizens were being discriminated against."
SRS data shows benefits were eliminated for 1,042 households from Oct. 1 to the end of 2011, once incomes were recalculated using the new policy. The agency doesn't know how many U.S. children living in those households no longer receive benefits.
However, an SRS report shows that in the first month, from October to November, 2,066 children dropped from the food stamp rolls in Kansas.
Not all of those children lost benefits because of the policy change on how income is counted, de Rocha said.
"Some were, some weren't," she said. "... Families go on and off the program as their income changes."
Melinda Lewis, a public policy consultant for El Centro who has studied the issue, understands the need to be fair but doesn't think the change is.
"We don't want a policy that would put U.S. families at a disadvantage," Lewis said. "So let's find a solution. Put a cap on benefits so mixed-status families could never get more than a U.S. family."
Found 7 comment(s)!
Single Mother
I say that comment because of the abuse I see of the system. I did not say to take it away but I did say they need to be more strict about who receives it and who doesnt. You may think it is not fair for me to say that but it is my opinion. I dont have kids for the reason that I see so many people suffering to support them and I can barely support myself so I would rather not but myself in that situation. But everyone has their own story to tell and I dont know everyones circumstances but these topics piss me off when they have to relate everything to illegals.
Posted by: ES on 1/25/2012
To ES
Please tell me, your thought: "If you have kids support them YOURSELVES", does this apply to anyone and everyone? I am a US Citizen and a single mother of 2 working a full time job; I receive a whopping 70/week in child support. I do everything I can for my children and we receive food stamps and medical card. Let me tell you-the cost of living is high, the price of gas to get to and from work is high, school fees, clothes, everything children need costs money. The little relief I get from receiving my extra $200 (yes! family of 3 receiving $200) in food assistance, helps tremendously! I can't afford to pay for medical insurance for my children so does this mean they should have to suffer in the event of an emergency? I assure you if I can't pay for extra medical insurance there’s no way in the world I am going to be able to afford a hospital bill for over 3,000. I know there are families out there abusing the system and I feel this is wrong. But to the families who need it, why not help?! There are people such as myself who are trying their hardest to get themselves off government assistance, however while I'm on it, is it fair to have people such as yourself make comments like "IF YOU HAVE KIDS SUPPORT THEM YOURSELVES". Yes, Let’s punish my children because mommy has to make a choice to pay the rent or buy groceries, or neglect to get my child medical attention just because mommy can’t afford health insurance. These services are available for people to NEED it. So let’s not attack the families who need it all because the families who don’t are abusing the system.
Posted by: a Single Mother on 1/24/2012
Fair
Ok so they want to make changes, make them. But make them to everyone! Most of these US citizens receiving food stamps are people that are able to work and that are also receiving some type of other assistance like Medicaid. They need to investigate more and make the requirements more strict. Because I know not only illegals are abusing the system, the US citizens themselves are doing it too. My thought: if you have kids support them yourselves!
Posted by: ES on 1/24/2012
Rick and Voter, you missed my point
I was talking about increasing eligibility because of all the food fragile people that live around here. It's not just illegals who are food fragile. If you had read more closely there are a number of elderly who are food fragile. We are not talking about people who just want "freebies" or are here illegally.
There is a lot of hunger here and it's not limited to illegals. I'm saying we need more people on foodstamps, not fewer. I am not saying that illegals should have more foodstamps than citizens.
I've got to say, though, that I really hate the reference to "dropping a baby." The US Constitution says that anyone who is born here is a citizen.
That is how you got your citizenship. Your grandparents or great-grandparents came here from Germany or Ireland or wherever. But they came for greater opportunities for their kids and grandkids. That is what makes the US a great country.
You're been fed a line by people who want to blame the bad economy on the illegals instead of the rich.
Posted by: SWK Voter on 1/24/2012
food stamps
SWK voter, evidently you didn't read the entire story, It says that previously, and family of illegals with U S born children received MORE than a family of U S CITIZENS of the same size and income. Having been told this by SRS workers before, I am delighted to see some changes being made. And now we need to do away with the citizenship given to these people who break into our "home" and drop a baby to get these benefits, and others.
Posted by: Voter on 1/23/2012
SWK Voter show compassion to legal Americans
SWK you show no compassion for legal American children, based on what you are spinning, Americans are heartless to disqualify the illegals from the food stamp program. Remember the guy running the program just said it was out of balance and unfair to legal Americans, what do you not understand about that. I would challenge you, Obama and other liberals to offer an additional 20% of your income each year to pay for these and other free social programs you guys want, again, I bet my paycheck "you will not do that or ever have done it". Spin, spin, spin, its all coming to and end in 5 years or less, get use to it and move to California, Mexico or Europe, please leave Kansas, 80% of us do not want you here, spinning your elitist bull, but again you have the right to be wrong, it still is America, unless you guys get your way in the next 20 years.
Posted by: rick on 1/23/2012
This is for the tea partiers
I can already hear the cheers from the tea partiers who want their government benefits, but no one else should take anything from the government.
Twenty-five percent of children and elderly are food fragile in the State of Kansas. These are US citizens. This is your elderly neighbor and the poor kids you try to ignore.
You have your Social Security and Medicare and take from the same government that food stamps come from. You think no one else should ever take anything from the government.
What you are missing is that those kids, who ARE US citizens, are the future workers who will pay for your Social Security and Medicare. If they are poorly fed, they will not be able to work those jobs that the country needs to support all the people on Social Security and Medicare.
You don't really think you paid in enough to cover all your future medical payments!
Posted by: SWK Voter on 1/23/2012