Food stamps miami6/17/2023 ![]() ![]() She sees Cuban neighbors in her Hialeah subsidized-housing complex receiving aid and returning to Cuba for visits. Lydia Perez worked for 45 years cleaning offices and working in a hotel kitchen but can't afford to visit her native Dominican Republic. It also causes resentment among some other immigrants. but is considered an entitlement by many when they arrive. The aid may not be enough to draw Cubans to the U.S. The monthly payments are considered a vital source of income for many elderly Cubans, and Congress, at the behest of Florida's influential delegation, has protected their eligibility. Miami-Dade had more seniors on SSI than all other Florida counties combined in 2013.īy 2013, Cubans were the second-largest group of noncitizens over 65 collecting SSI, behind Mexicans. The special status that Cubans have enjoyed for decades has helped make Miami-Dade top in the nation among large counties in the percentage of people over 65 collecting SSI, the Sun Sentinel found in an analysis of Census and Social Security data. Most elderly immigrants from other nations must first become citizens to receive Supplemental Security Income - a process that takes at least five years. I want to be an American citizen."Ĭubans are eligible for government assistance for up to seven years after they arrive in the U.S., and longer if they become citizens. "I have an American flag in my house," she said. ![]() The benefits, she said, are much better than pensions in Cuba - about $7 a month. She lives in Miami in a subsidized apartment, gets food stamps and $700 a month in SSI. "But here, I'm better."Įlisa Diaz came at 75 to be near her three children in the U.S. He now lives in Miami on food stamps, Medicaid and SSI. Jose Angel Rodriguez immigrated at 81 to join his daughter. Elderly immigrants interviewed by the Sun Sentinel said they came primarily to be with family, met the aid qualifications and are grateful for the help. The United States makes it possible under a humanitarian policy of treating Cubans who arrive as refugees. ![]()
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