Food Insecurity Is a Source of Toxic Stress, JAMA Pediatrics (2024)

Food insecurity is a pervasive and persistent issue in the United States that disproportionately affects families with children and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. Food insecurity has been associated with psychological, cognitive, and behavioral health consequences in children, contributing to lifelong socioeconomic and health inequities

Economic Projections for Asylum Seekers and New Immigrants: Massachusetts, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (2024)

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and the Immigration Research Initiative (IRI) looked at the economic future for those immigrants newly arriving in Massachusetts, from their job and wage prospects to the tax revenue they can be counted on to contribute to state and local governments. As immigrants settle into working here, they contribute to state and local tax revenues. State and local tax revenues are predicted to increase by $2 million for every 1,000 newly-arrived immigrant workers, increasing to $2.8 million annually after about five years. Upon their initial arrival in Massachusetts, immigrants are most likely to find work as construction laborers, cashiers, housekeepers, child care providers, personal care attendants, agricultural workers and cooks. Some may take positions with "at least slightly higher wages" such as retail salespeople, truck drivers, registered nurses, or nursing assistants.

The Cruel Restrictions on Immigrants’ Eligibility for Public Benefits in the United States, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy (2023)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Access and Racial Disparities in Food Insecurity, JAMA Network (2023)

This study examined racial disparities in food insecurity overall and compared households participating in SNAP with those not participating. It found racial disparities in food insecurity among low-income adults who do not participate in SNAP but not among those who do participate. Findings suggest that systemic barriers to SNAP participation that disproportionately affect minority communities harm food security. Read the article.

The Impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Enrollment on Health and Cost Outcomes, NEJM Catalyst (2023)

Compared with people not enrolled in SNAP, SNAP enrollees had 16% and 21% lower total health care costs and pharmacy costs, respectively, within the first year post-enrollment in SNAP. Read the report.

Association Between Material Hardship in Families With Young Children and Federal Relief Program Participation by Race and Ethnicity and Maternal Nativity, The Journal of the American Medical Association (2023)

In this cohort study, receipt of benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and/or Economic Impact Payments (EIP, also known as stimulus checks) was associated with reduced prevalence of household food insecurity and being behind on rent. However, there were disparities in receipt of benefits as well as food insecurity and being behind on rent by maternal nativity and caregiver race and ethnicity. The researchers found that during the COVID-19 pandemic families with immigrant mothers had lower odds of participating in SNAP or EIP than families with US-born mothers, despite being more likely to report household food insecurity and difficulty paying rent. The findings of this study suggest that equity-driven policy design is needed to ensure that benefits reach all families, especially among historically marginalized groups. Read the report.

SNAP Access and Participation in U.S.-Born and Immigrant Household: A Data Profile, Migration Policy Institute (2023).

Based on US Census data, the MPI issue brief explores the number and characteristics of individuals living in different types of poor households: households with all U.S.-born members and three types of households with one or more immigrant member. Read the issue brief.

An increase in SNAP benefits will reduce food insecurity, but Hispanic children are left behind, DiversityDataKids (2021)

Restoring an Inclusionary Safety Net for Children in Immigrant Families: A Review of Three Social Policies, Health Affairs (2021)

Since the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, known as “welfare reform,” in 1996, US social policy has increasingly stratified immigrants by legality, extending eligibility exclusions, benefit limitations, and administrative burdens not only to undocumented immigrants but also to lawful permanent residents and US citizens in immigrant families. This stratification is a form of structural discrimination, which is a social determinant of health. Children in immigrant families, most of whom are US citizens, have not been able to fully realize the benefits from social safety-net programs—including the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act stimulus payments. Policy deliberations over pandemic recovery, the equity focus of the Biden administration, and proposals to address child poverty provide an opportunity to reexamine immigrant exclusions, restrictions, and administrative burdens in public programs. 

Massachusetts survey finds elevated rates of food insecurity among immigrant families with K-12 kids, MassINC Polling Group (2021).

A new survey of over 10,000 K-12 parents and guardians in selected Massachusetts public school districts sheds light on the challenges facing some of the Commonwealth’s neediest families during the pandemic. Only a third (32%) of respondents to the survey said they had received SNAP benefits during the pandemic. Even among those who reported food insecurity, only 40% said they received SNAP during the pandemic. Immigration status was major concern in SNAP enrollment, especially among lower-income Latino families. Read the report.

State Immigration Data Profiles: Massachusetts, Migration Policy Institute Data Hub (2021, 2020, 1990).

This profile includes MA immigrant demographics such as race, age, place of birth, and naturalization. View the profile.

Trends in Food Insecurity and SNAP Participation among Immigrant Families of U.S.-Born Young Children, National Library of Medicine, PMC PubMed Central (2019).

From January 2007 to June 2018, 37,570 caregivers of young children (ages 0–4) were interviewed in emergency rooms and primary care clinics of immigrant families, including in Boston. Using USDA’s Food Security Survey Module, the report found that SNAP participation had been increasing between 2007 and 2017 for immigrant families whose mothers had been in the United States for less than five years. But in the first half of 2018 the trend started to reverse, the survey showed, dropping nearly 10 percentage points. Read the report.