generally were eligible for assistance in a manner similar to U.S. Prior to the enactment of these laws, lawful permanent residents of the U.S. However, the 1996 federal welfare and immigration laws introduced an unprecedented era of restrictionism. Programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program), nonemergency Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and its precursor, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), were largely unavailable to undocumented immigrants and people in the United States on temporary visas. citizens from eligibility for assistance.
The major federal public benefits programs have long excluded some non–U.S. Updated October 2023 By Tanya Broder and Gabrielle Lessard Overview of Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Programs