…receive some sort of state assistance / welfare today. That surprisingly high number (well, to me anyway) is from a recently published report by the Center for Immigration Studies that’s sure to generate some interesting (and perhaps heated) discussion.
Households with children with the highest welfare use rates are those headed by immigrants from the Dominican Republic (82 percent), Mexico and Guatemala (75 percent), and Ecuador (70 percent). Those with the lowest use rates are from the United Kingdom (7 percent), India (19 percent), Canada (23 percent), and Korea (25 percent).
While 19% “feels” higher than I’d expect, it’s still a little less than half the rate of “native households with children” (39%). And, the Indian number is positive relative to those hordes of poor, illiterate, malnourished, Americans-of-Canadian-descent (23%) and is the lowest rate of use of any of the Asian communities identified. A model minority?
Interestingly, I’ve always generally assumed that immigration patterns from India vs. Pakistan into the US were basically the same. However, the Pakistani-household rate of assistance – 32.8% – is substantially higher than the Indian one and on par with the rate for Chinese families – 32.7%.
CIS’s intro to their study notes the issues being raised and points out that the data collected is primarily self-reported (with all the issues/concerns entailed) –
Concern that immigrants may become a burden on society has been a long-standing issue in the United States. As far back as colonial times there were restrictions on the arrival of people who might become a burden on the community. This report analyzes survey data collected by the Census Bureau from 2002 to 2009 to examine use of welfare programs by immigrant and native households, particularly those with children. The Current Population Survey (CPS) asks respondents about their use of welfare programs in the year prior to the survey,1 so we are examining self-reported welfare use rates from 2001 to 2009.
Any mutineers have insight into these differences?
SS,
Thanks for the powerful replies and for defending Muslims. You were crushing many myths here and sending some of the usual dimwits running for cover. If you are a Muslim, are you sure your forefathers were not Pandits or Bhatts (lol, just kidding)?
Same as the earlier commenter, a heartfelt shoutout to SS. I didn’t have the stomach to wade into this disgusting cesspool started by Appalled but I have been watching SS’s valiant efforts in admiration from afar. Only in Vinod’s thread could this have gone on this way for so long. This would have been stopped in Abhi’s or Taz’s threads a long time ago. thanks, SS.
“SS, I don’t know what you are rambling about. I didn’t deny they were Muslim countries richer than India. I did say that most Muslims do not live in what you described as the “Muslim heartland” where the most wealthy Muslim nations are.”
I just showed you that the majority of Muslims live in countries with higher per capita incomes than India. But you have neither the intellectual honesty nor the moral decency to admit you were wrong. Instead you are resorting to wishful delusions of how in the future things will look different.
What makes you think India is on the right track? How can a hopelessly malnourished, functionally illiterate massive population that is growing by 20 million a year lead to developed status?
If this is the representation of Indian Hindus “progress” in the US, which is basically the repetition of the worse form of mindless racism against Muslims that would warm a Tea Partier’s heart, then Indian Hindus parents need to focus on teaching their kids some values rather than acquiring string of degrees to list after their kids’ names. Having graduate degrees don’t make you smarter, that’s for sure.
Disgusting thread of comments. One of the worst on sepiamutiny.
“Even so I’ve always wondered why we don’t see the Indians who fit this profile also immigrating illegally to the West but only Paks/Bangladeshis. “
That’s not true. What evidence do you have that most Pakistanis and Bangaldeshis are illegal but Indians are not? Give source please.
Most llegal Indians work in oil-rich Arab countries. Many who come to the US tend to be on the richer side, already middle class. Even then, there are major H1-B scams that have allowed in illegal Indians. Many Indians are out of status after going from student to never going back to India. The ones who are not as rich go to Arab countries and even Southeast Asia like Indonesia and Malaysia.
50% of India, more than half a billon, live in poverty similar to subsaharan Africa.