Volume 1.1 - Election Issues - Fall 1996

Title: Immigrant Restrictions to Public Assistance: Implementation Issues for Illinois.

Author: Michelle Waslin

Abstract: Congress recently passed revolutionary changes to the welfare system which will soon affect the lives of millions of individuals across the U.S. With the end of entitlements, states and local governments have been delegated unprecedented authority to determine who will continue to be eligible for benefits and which benefits they will receive. Immigrant and refugee communities will suffer particularly dramatic cuts in eligibility and services. For the first time in history, states will have the option to deny Medicaid and other health care programs to legal immigrants. However, federal agencies and regulators, state legislatures and administrators and local entities will have to make crucial decisions before the new welfare system can be implemented. Meanwhile, immigrants, refugees and many other vulnerable populations await their fate as they struggle to understand the implications of these decisions.

About the Author: Michele Waslin is on the staff of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Protection and is a Ph.D. student in Government at the University of Notre Dame.

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