Immigration

Critics say immigration reform will run up welfare costs

By Susan Ferrechio
Published April 30, 2013 4:00am ET
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Critics say immigration reform will run up welfare costs
MISSION, TX - APRIL 11: U.S. Border Patrol agents detain undocumented immigrants near the U.S.-Mexico border on April 11, 2013 near Mission, Texas. A group of 16 immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador said they crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico into Texas during the morning hours before they were caught. The Rio Grande Valley sector of has seen more than a 50 percent increase in illegal immigrant crossings from last year, according to the Border Patrol. Agents say they have also seen an additional surge in immigrant traffic since immigration reform negotiations began this year in Washington D.C. Proposed refoms could provide a path to citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million undocumented workers living in the United States. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) | John Moore

A Republican senator warned Tuesday that a bipartisan immigration-reform proposal now under consideration would allow illegal immigrants to take advantage of government welfare benefits much sooner than the 13-year time frame outlined in the legislation.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said loopholes in the legislation would permit those who came to the U.S. illegally to collect cash assistance, food stamps and health care benefits long before they earn a green card and a pathway to citizenship.

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Congress Entitlements Politics Digest Susan Ferrechio