Children of Immigrants' Food Insecurity and Receipt of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Heather L. Koball, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Albert Yung-Hsu Liu, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

Food security among children is linked to improved health outcomes and child development. Children of immigrants are significantly more likely to be food insecure than are children of non-immigrants. One in four children lives with at least one immigrant parent. Immigrant eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has changed over time. Furthermore, many children of immigrants are eligible for SNAP, but their parents are not. Motivated by the importance of food security for child well-being, the higher rate of food insecurity in immigrant households, and the changes in SNAP eligibility rules for immigrants, we use the CPS-FSS and CPS-ACES to examine (1) the effects of changes in SNAP eligibility on the SNAP participation and benefits in immigrant households with children, (2) the characteristics of immigrant households associated with SNAP participation, and (3) The effects of SNAP participation on food insecurity among children of immigrants.