Immigrants Have Been Waiting 25 Years for the LIFT the BAR Act

For the past 25+ years, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 has barred many struggling immigrant families from basic safety net programs. Fortunately, Congress has an opportunity to end this unjust exclusion with the LIFT the BAR Act.

April 26, 2022 | Testimony/Comments | Elizabeth Lower-Basch

CLASP Responds to Proposed Rulemaking, Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility, DHS Docket No. USCIS-2021-0013

March 02, 2022 | Fact Sheet | Ashley Burnside

The Child Tax Credit and Mixed Immigration-Status Families

February 25, 2022 | Fact Sheet |

Individual Taxpayer Identification Number Fact Sheet

Immigrants and their families face unique barriers to basic health care and nutrition assistance, including laws that restrict even lawfully present immigrants’ access to federal means-tested benefits. Immigrants and their children—many of whom are U.S. citizens—are less likely to use programs like SNAP or Medicaid even when they are eligible, due to confusing rules and immigration-related concerns. CLASP works to protect access to critical benefits and income supports for all children and families who need them, regardless of immigration status.

Featured Expert:

Juan Carlos Gomez

Senior Policy Analyst, Immigration and Immigrant Families

Immigrant Access to Benefits

New from CLASP

May 22, 2025 | Press Release | Adult and Postsecondary Education

House Reconciliation Bill Slashes Child and Family Supports to Fund Mass Deportation and Further Enrich the Wealthy

May 16, 2025 | Blog Post | Children, Youth & Families

House Ways & Means Reconciliation Proposal Forsakes Everyday People to Benefit the Wealthy

May 12, 2025 | Blog Post | Children, Youth & Families

SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Trump’s Birthright Citizenship EO: What’s at Stake for Children?

May 07, 2025 | Blog Post | Children, Youth & Families

House Judiciary Committee’s Reconciliation Bill Would Harm Immigrant Families and U.S. Citizen Children

April 22, 2025 | News Clip | Children, Youth & Families

Immigration Policies Harm the Early Childhood Workforce and the Communities They Serve

Increasing Enrollment, Improving Outcomes

Our Advancing Strategies to Align Programs (ASAP) project helps state-level advocates increase enrollment in work support programs, including Medicaid and SNAP, through more integrated systems. There is strong evidence that work supports improve people’s immediate and long-term health as well as their educational and economic outcomes. Research also shows that receiving the full package of benefits—not just one program—is especially effective.

ASAP Project Overview