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Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Immigrants consistently report lower welfare participation than natives for nearly every program across poverty status and the income distribution.

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My commentary: I appreciate die-hard racists will say "It doesn't matter if they use less welfare, they shouldn't be here in the first place." Thinking this argument must be economically sound, as zero immigrants can only mean zero cost associated with immigrants, and nothing's cheaper than that.

Cato addresses that as well. In "Immigrants' Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994"2023"

For each year from 1994 to 2023, the US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government.

Over that period, immigrants created a cumulative fiscal surplus of $14.5 trillion in real 2024 US dollars, including $3.9 trillion in savings on interest on the debt.

Without immigrants, US government public debt at all levels would be at least 205 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)"nearly twice its 2023 level. https://www.cato.org/white-paper/immigrants-recent-effects-government-budgets-1994-2023

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CATO. Wow.

#1 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-02-10 07:57 PM | Reply

geesus frack...

NYC mayor says they are in a 12 billion dollar deficit.

a simple google would prove to even you two losers that the costs of being

a sanctuary city since 2020 has cost the city @ 12 billion dollars.

but sure... just keep wankin your stupid s/t out.

#2 | Posted by shrimptacodan at 2026-02-10 08:22 PM | Reply

"... immigrants consistently report lower welfare participation than natives for nearly every program across poverty status and the income distribution."

Also much lower crime rates, especially violent crime rate, than US citizens, and for the last 150 years, a Net Plus to the Economy.

No wonder Rwingers want to get rid of them, right?

The Real Reason is, of course, the white nationalist Great Replacement Myth that has been thoroughly debunked, which Trump LIED to them about for years.


en.wikipedia.org

Kudos to the conservative Cato Inst for telling the truth for once.

#3 | Posted by Corky at 2026-02-10 08:27 PM | Reply

They use it more. We know they use it more. We just can't see the evidence they do!

-MAGA idiots

#4 | Posted by jpw at 2026-02-10 10:19 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

@#3 ... "... immigrants consistently report lower welfare participation than natives for nearly every program across poverty status and the income distribution."

Also much lower crime rates, especially violent crime rate, than US citizens, and for the last 150 years, a Net Plus to the Economy. ...

The GOP never seems to allow factual data stand in the way of their hallucinations.

... Kudos to the conservative Cato Inst for telling the truth for once. ...

Yup.

#5 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-11 12:20 PM | Reply

Immigrants get the job done.

MAGATS are all ------- imbecile losers.

#6 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-02-11 01:28 PM | Reply

Was this study all immigrants or undocumented? can't open it where I am.

#7 | Posted by kwrx25 at 2026-02-11 02:40 PM | Reply

"Was this study all immigrants or undocumented?"

All. But, I believe the programs they are looking at aren't accessible to illegal immigrants, unless they're obtained through fraud. Immigrants are 15% of the population but commit 5% of the welfare fraud; that's from another Cato study: www.cato.org

There's also this:
Immigrant and Native Consumption of Means-Tested Welfare and Entitlement Benefits in 2023
www.cato.org

Noncitizen immigrants"including those lawfully present in the United States on various temporary visas, lawful permanent residents, and illegal immigrants"consumed 53 percent less welfare than native-born Americans. Noncitizens were 7.5 percent of the population and consumed just 3.2 percent of all welfare. However, naturalized immigrants consumed 20 percent more welfare than native-born Americans because they were an older population"they consumed 6.6 times more Social Security and 5.4 times more Medicare than noncitizens on a per capita basis. Naturalized immigrants were 7.2 percent of the population and consumed 8 percent of welfare benefits.

And
"Other studies evaluating immigrant welfare participation and consumption use the household as the unit of analysis for all programs.9 However, we dispute this approach because many spouses and children of immigrants are native-born Americans."

See Also, and this is from a different source, hence the "high rate" comment:
cis.org
The high welfare use of immigrant households is not explained by an unwillingness to work. In fact, 83 percent of all immigrant households and 94 percent of illegal-headed households have at least one worker, compared to 73 percent of U.S.-born households.

#8 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-02-11 02:57 PM | Reply

Something tells me there would be less bitching about Immigration if most of the immigrants were white.

#9 | Posted by morris at 2026-02-11 05:40 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

Something tells me there would be less bitching about Immigration if most of the immigrants were white.

#9 | Posted by morris at 2026-02-11 05:40 PM | Reply | Flag: Yup

#10 | Posted by C0RI0LANUS at 2026-02-11 05:43 PM | Reply

But it's not ess than zero.

#11 | Posted by visitor_ at 2026-02-11 10:21 PM | Reply

#11

Not every number can be like your IQ, Boudreaux.

#12 | Posted by Corky at 2026-02-11 10:24 PM | Reply

But it's not ess than zero.
#11 | Posted by visitor_

You missed the part where they're a net economic positive.

That means they give more than they take.

You don't care because it's not about money, it's because you want America to be White Majority.

#13 | Posted by snoofy at 2026-02-11 11:12 PM | Reply

@#13 ... You missed the part where they're a net economic positive. ...

Immigrants' Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994"2023
February 3, 2026 White Paper
www.cato.org

... Recent increases in immigration have rekindled concerns about their effects on government budgets. This paper updates a model of these effects first developed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to shed light on how immigrants, both legal and illegal, and their children affect government budgets.

This analysis is the first to estimate the cumulative fiscal effect of immigrants on federal, state, and local budgets over 30 years.

The government first began gathering detailed information on benefits use by citizenship status in 1994. The data show:

- - - For each year from 1994 to 2023, the US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government.

- - - Over that period, immigrants created a cumulative fiscal surplus of $14.5 trillion in real 2024 US dollars, including $3.9 trillion in savings on interest on the debt.

- - - Without immigrants, US government public debt at all levels would be at least 205 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)"nearly twice its 2023 level. ...


#14 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-12 12:00 AM | Reply

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