Food Insecurity and SNAP Participation in Mexican Immigrant Families: The Impact of the Outreach Initiative

Kaushal Neeraj (), Waldfogel Jane () and Wight Vanessa R. ()
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Kaushal Neeraj: School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
Waldfogel Jane: School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
Wight Vanessa R.: School of Social Work, Columbia University, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA

The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 2014, vol. 14, issue 1, 203-240

Abstract: We study the factors associated with food insecurity and participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Mexican immigrant families in the US. Estimates from analyses that control for a rich set of economic, demographic, and geographic variables show that children in Mexican immigrant families are more likely to be food insecure than children in native families, but are less likely to participate in SNAP. Further, more vulnerable groups such as the first-generation Mexican immigrant families, families in the US for less than 5 years, and families with non-citizen children – that are at a higher risk of food insecurity are the least likely to participate in SNAP. Our analysis suggests that the US Department of Agriculture outreach initiative and SNAP expansion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increased SNAP participation of the mixed-status Mexican families, and there is some evidence that food insecurity declined among children in low-educated mixed status families. We do not find any evidence that the outreach and ARRA expansion increased SNAP receipt among Mexican immigrant families with only non-citizen members who are likely to be undocumented.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2013-0083

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