Are undocumented immigrants eligible for any public benefits?
Yes. All immigrants, regardless of their status or when they entered the county, are eligible for emergency benefits including: • Emergency medical care, emergency Medicaid, immunizations, diagnosis and treatment of communicable diseases, emergency mental health and substance abuse services, • WIC; • Summer food programs and school lunch programs; • Public education; and • Any program necessary to protect life and safety that is not income conditional (shelters, food banks). Workers at these programs are not required to ask for verification of immigration status. For more detailed information on theses legal remedies and on public benefits available to immigrant survivors of abuse, please see the “Assisting Immigrant Survivors of Abuse” protocol on this website. The Texas Council on Family Violence’s Public Policy Department can answer questions and requests for technical assistance regarding options for immigrant survivors of abuse. TCFV also offers resource materials and trainings on
