Social Safety Net Participation Among Resettled Refugees: Comparing Estimation Approaches

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 18. Methods and measurement

Abstract

Since the passing of the Refugee Act in 1980, over 3 million refugees have been admitted through the U.S, Refugee Admissions Program (WRAPS) (DHS, 2024). For decades, programs supporting the early social and economic incorporation of refugees have received bipartisan support and have largely been spared from broader anti-immigrant policy changes (e.g., PRWORA, Public Charge). For the first time, H.R.1 revoked refugees’ eligibility for several prominent safety net programs, creating gaps in social safety net support until they adjust to lawful permanent residency (LPR). The role these benefits have played in refugees’ early social and economic integration remains largely under investigated. Few data sources allow for the identification of this specific population. Research using various approaches have found initially high rates of participation in social safety net programs that decline to near general population rates over time. While this is generally touted as evidence of economic incorporation and upward mobility, other factors may be at play. The way these analyses have been structured largely ignore the role of state policy variation (e.g., Medicaid expansion, broad-based categorical eligibility) and changes in sociopolitical factors across time (e.g., COVID-19, anti-immigrant sentiment). To investigate these trends, this study compares estimates of refugees’ social safety net participation using three data sources – each with their own strengths and limitations.

Author

• Lindsay Dusard, University of Pennsylvania