Contact: Tony Bell, Communications Deputy
Office: (213) 974-5555  Cell: (213) 215-5176
E-mail: tbell@bos.lacounty.gov

February 16, 2012                                                                                                              

For Immediate Release 

WELFARE COSTS FOR CHILDREN OF ILLEGAL ALIENS EXCEEDS $646 MILLION 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Year-end closing 2011 figures from the Department of Public Social Services reported that over $646 million in welfare and food stamp benefits were issued to illegal alien parents for their native-born children, announced Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

The $646.2 million consisted of $258 million in CalWORKs (welfare) and $388 million in Food Stamps) — a $21 million increase over the previous year.

“With the $550 million for public safety and nearly $500 million for healthcare, the total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers exceeds $1.6 billion dollars a year,” said Antonovich.  “These costs do not include the hundreds of millions of dollars for education.”

 Figures from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services-February 2012

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