A new US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report shows California continues to lead the nation in paying welfare checks under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to households headed by illegal aliens. Titled “The Prevalence of TANF Child-Only Cases Involving Immigration-Status-Ineligible Parents,” the June 10 report reviews how TANF assistance “flows to households headed by ineligible parents, including illegal aliens” across the country. The overwhelming majority of that assistance reaches households headed by illegal aliens in California, the report finds.
The payments are directed to what are known as “child-only” households, in which children (who in many cases may be citizens by virtue of being born in the US) are eligible for benefits even though their illegal alien parents are not. As I reviewed in an AEI report last year, TANF, food stamps, and even new Trump account benefits could flow to such households. As one immigrant advocacy group explained of California’s food stamp program, called CalFresh: “People who have children with U.S. citizenship or lawful status may apply for CalFresh food assistance on behalf of their children and do not need to provide any information about their own immigration status.” The household’s benefits are then provided to the parent, despite his or her individual ineligibility.
Within the TANF program specifically, the report offers the following data points:
- Households headed by illegal aliens and other “immigration-status-ineligible” parents constitute 10 percent of all TANF cases,
- “In FY2024, child-only cases accounted for 40.4% of all TANF basic assistance households nationwide. Among child-only cases, 24.8% involved a parent who was excluded from the assistance unit because of citizenship or immigration status.”
- Child-only cases including “immigration-status-ineligible parents” reflect 10 percent of all TANF cash assistance cases nationwide in FY 2024.
- California is the “primary driver” of these cases.
- “In FY2024, California accounted for about 59,622 affected households, or roughly 70% of the national total.”
- California is also a primary driver of spending on these cases.
- “The state’s annual cash assistance associated with those households reached about $617.5 million, or about 81% of nationwide spending on these cases.”
- “The next-largest states were far smaller. New York ranked second at about 7,635 households and about $47.5 million in annual cash assistance, followed by Massachusetts at about 3,777 households and about $27.3 million, and Washington at about 1,796 households and about $12.2 million.”
- “Spending on child-only cases involving immigration-status-ineligible parents equaled about 15.8% of all FY2024 TANF basic assistance spending in California.”
- “That concentration was accompanied by a sharp rise in benefit levels over time, as the average monthly benefit in California for child-only households with immigration-status-ineligible parents increased from an estimated $408 in FY2013 to $875 in FY2024, a rise of 114.5%.”
- “No other state approached California’s combination of scale, concentration, and fiscal impact.”
- The issue is not new.
- “From FY2001 through FY2024, these cases remained a persistent part of the TANF caseload and were associated with an estimated $18.3 billion in cumulative cash assistance nationwide.”
- “The historical record therefore shows that this is not a minor byproduct of TANF, but a durable feature of the program’s child-only case structure.”
The number of TANF child-only cases headed by “immigration-status-ineligible” parents peaked at 221,203 in 2010; in percentage terms, such cases peaked subsequently at 12.9 percent of households receiving TANF assistance in 2016. The report finds that especially the number of these cases has fallen considerably through FY 2024, which ended in September 2024.
Much has changed since then, including the transition to the second Trump administration and its significantly strengthened focus on border security. HHS has separately provided additional data about overall child-only cases through December 2025. Those data indicate that child-only cases continued to fall through FY 2025 and the start of FY 2026. It is unclear whether, and if so how much of, that decline may be attributable to households headed specifically by illegal alien adults.
Meanwhile, the continued existence—and heavy concentration in California—of these cases remains a challenge to those who seek to end taxpayer benefits for illegal aliens. As the latest HHS report displays, especially in the Golden State, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars continue to flow each year in the form of welfare checks sent to households headed by illegal aliens.
Matt Weidinger is a senior fellow and Rowe Scholar in opportunity and mobility studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where his work is focused on safety-net policies, including cash welfare, child welfare, disability benefits, and unemployment insurance.
Reprinted with permission from AEI.org by Matt Weidinger.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Why should this come as a shock, when did it ever do any good and came to the assistance to those who truly, at one time or another could do with a bit of help, it is designed to serve a loser, cheater and not too eager to work. Once on it long enough to become used to it you become a lifer.
California is a Communist Controlled Welfare State , which is supported by our own Federal Government with Billions of our Tax-Dollars in the form of Welfare every year . Dasvidaniya Comrades .
This has been going on for 30 years. I watched it up close living in San Diego for 38 years. Illegals break into our country and immediately start stealing from Americans. All the while, they work in cash, and get everything free. Education, health care, food housing. It’s a joke. Nothing will be done about it. The Supreme Court will uphold the poorly written 14th amendment and this Congress doesn’t have the balls to do anything about it.
How long has this been going on? Nevermind, it will probably never stop. It seems the only ones that can’t get help are real Americans or is that another democrat ploy to exclude honest assistance to qualified recipients?
Will the last American citizen who escapes California please remember to take our American flag?
California has become a significant leech on the public treasury. Why do the rest of the states continue to allow this? What is Congress doing? Shameful behavior by elected officials!
This all began with the fraudulent Motor Voter program in California, decades ago, the left figured out how to really put their Election and Welfare fraud into high gear with motor voter laws and it was birthed in California where I was born and raised, I am so embarrassed when someone asks me where I’m from, I have family there still but no desire to enter the state anymore!
Deport the Democratic Party and their allies, they are our biggest enemy! You want to know where our tax dollars and Social Security are going, it is the thieving Democratic Party stealing our tax dollars! The true Americans must stop them now and at all cost!
ICE, ICE, ICE!!!!!
Tie all to Newsome & allies in Sacramento
I’ve been a taxpaying CA citizen for 48 years. I feel cheated. How can I “identify” as an illegal-alien and receive some of the “free” benefits? I’ve paid A LOT into the system.
DEPORT, DEPORT, DEPORT!
Why is the federal government still giving them money?!? How long can a state blatantly break federal laws and expect federal funds to keep pouring in?!?
Just another day in Paradise, paid for by the US taxpayers, as always.
It is as the Dumba$$ocrat$ have planned, and they LOVE when a plan comes together!
Wish we could physically cut “Kalifornia” state off from the lower 48 and let it drift out into the Pacific to wallow in their own chit. No more federal money and see how long they could survive. Crude and rude but effective to get rid of the liberalist, communist politicians. On the other side, get some decent conservatives in there and the state might be saved. Won’t happen as too many liberal demonrats there I’m afraid.
it is what californians willingly pay for!
California, the “America Last” state!
In welfare FRAUD, that is.
imo
Do we have stats on number of European Invaders that were given survival assistance by the Indians when they were being invaded by the White Man? You gotta think, maybe someday when we’ve learned, American culture will return.