Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich released figures from the Department of Public Social Services showing that in April 2010, $52 million in welfare benefits ($22 million CalWORKs + $30 million in Food Stamps) were issued to parents who reside in the United States illegally and collect benefits for their native-born children in Los Angeles County. This amounts to approximately 23% of all CalWORKs and Food Stamp issuances in the County.

In 2009, CalWORKs and Food Stamp issuances to illegals totaled nearly $570 million. The total costs for CalWORKs and Food Stamps for children of illegal aliens has risen steadily by an additional $1 million cost to the taxpayers each month since January 2009.

“When you add this to $540 million for public safety and nearly $500 million for healthcare, the total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers far exceeds $1 billion a year – not including the hundreds of millions of dollars for education,” said Antonovich.