Americans Avoid SNAP Benefits Over Fear of Being on ‘Government’s Radar’

Millions of Americans aren’t applying for SNAP benefits despite being eligible due to concerns of being put on the “government’s radar.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) exists to help low-income Americans buy nutritious foods at the grocery store. By giving residents an EBT card, residents are able to buy SNAP-eligible foods at no cost so they don’t go hungry each month.
The exact amount of benefits available depends on household income and the number of residents in a household.
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However, despite more than 41 million, or more than 12 percent of the U.S. population, receiving benefits from the program, millions more haven’t applied for them, even though they qualify.
“There are millions of legal residents of the United States eligible for these beneficial programs who are not enrolling for fear that signing up for a government program will put their household on the government’s radar and put their loved ones at risk of deportation,” senior author Brent Langellier, an associate professor in the Dornsife School of Public Health, said in a report from Drexel University. “A particular concern is the over five million U.S.-born children living with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent.”
“It’s a difficult situation, because the concerns are valid,” Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
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“However, it’s also fair to know that some states have eased immigration policies for certain low-income individuals and households where applicants no longer have to hold the same level of fear they once did. Before deciding to not apply at all, possible recipients really need to assess the process where they live to see the exact requirements before moving forward.”
People living in counties with higher numbers of “detainer requests,” or requests from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for authorities to take people into custody on suspicion of illegally living in the United States, were especially at risk, and they tend not to apply for SNAP or Medicaid benefits even when they or their children qualify for them.
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By looking at the number of detainer requests for U.S. counties and enrollment numbers for Medicaid and SNAP in 2011, 2016, and 2019, the Drexel study found a high association between detainer requests and low enrollment numbers in government programs.
This was even stronger among adults in households with at least one immigrant.
While immigrants might qualify for SNAP or Medicaid assistance, they may be too afraid to apply because of how it could theoretically impact their legal status or the deportation of a family member or friend.
“Although detainer requests happen behind-the-scenes, they can be indicative of an overall climate of enforcement that impacts the daily lives of immigrants and their neighbors as well,” lead author Caroline Kravitz, a doctoral student in the Dornsife School of Public Health, said in a statement. “This enforcement may instill fear among immigrants and their family members and friends who may fear that any interaction with law enforcement officers could increase deportation risk for someone who is undocumented.”
SNAP has long been associated with lower health care costs and better health outcomes for participants, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Medicaid participation has seen similar trends.
Currently, only around half of U.S.-born eligible households and eligible immigrant households participate in the SNAP program.
“This surprising link between detainer requests and program enrollment among US-born citizens speaks to the external consequences of local immigration enforcement activities,” Kravitz said. “Even people in U.S.-born households but who may have grown up with parents or grandparents who are immigrants or who come from neighborhoods with a large immigrant population may experience residual fear of immigration enforcement.”
SNAP and Medicaid are not available for undocumented immigrants, but many of their family members qualify. Plus, six states offer fully funded health coverage to low-income adults regardless of immigration status.