Proof of citizenship not required
By Andy Gates - Argus Observer
Sunday, May 13, 2007 12:23 AM PDT
ONTARIO - The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children is a federal grant initiative that provided $1.26 million in food last year to thousands of low-income people living along the Idaho-Oregon border in Payette and Malheur counties.
The number of local program recipients lacking legal citizenship status, though, is apparently unknown.
The Women, Infants and Children program, commonly referred to as WIC, is overseen by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, and operates across Oregon.
WIC provides free food, nutrition education, and health and social service referrals to people throughout the country. It serves low-income pregnant, post-partum and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children 5 years old and younger who live in nutritional risk.
The WIC program was deemed “effective” following a 2006 study by the United States Office of Management and Budget. The study determined WIC used program funds efficiently and positively impacted birth outcomes, childhood immunization rates and Medicaid savings, according to information from the Oregon Department of Health Services (ODHS).
There is no record, though, regarding how many local participants may be illegal immigrants because U.S. citizenship is not required to receive WIC services in Oregon and Idaho.
“Legal and illegal immigrants can apply for and receive WIC services,” Gene Gunderson, Director Idaho’s Southwest District Health, said.
Confidentiality requirements also do not allow WIC staff in Idaho to report any information about recipients to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service — or anyone else — without written consent from participants, Gunderson said.
In Oregon, WIC services are available to all people who qualify, including undocumented individuals.
Proof of income, identity and residency is required by the WIC offices in Oregon. Residency refers to where someone sleeps at night, which is not the same as citizenship, ODHS information shows.
Without proof of identity, residency or income, an applicant can still attain one month of vouchers, though, according to ODHS.
WIC recipients in Payette and Malheur Counties received $1.2 million in food between January and December 2006. That translates into $874,135 in food expenditures for Malheur County, Malheur County Health Department WIC Coordinator Sandy Ackley said — and $390,633 in Payette County, Gunderson said.
Last year, 2,480 women, infants and children were served by WIC in Malheur County, according to ODHS information.
The WIC income standard is 185 percent of the federal poverty level. Sixty-six percent of the families enrolled in WIC in Malheur County live at, or below, the federal poverty level, which for a family of three translates to $1,383 per month, according to ODHS information.
Malheur County has the highest poverty rate of all counties in Oregon, estimated in March at 19.5 percent. The unemployment rate in the county registered at 7.6 percent, according to data from ODHS Children, Adults and Families.
Almost 85 percent of the 983 families that received WIC services in Malheur County had at least one working family member, according to ODHS.
An estimated 125,000 illegal immigrants live in Oregon, or 3.5 percent of the population, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski Spokeswoman Anna Richter Taylor said.
Kulongoski strongly supports the WIC mission.
“The governor has always put children at the front of the line. The health and nutrition of Oregon’s children and pregnant women is a priority for the governor, and it’s a successful program. The governor doesn’t feel kids should be put in the middle of a debate about immigration,” Taylor said.
Bilingual staff serve in the WIC offices for Malheur County and Payette County.
In Payette County, the percentage of non-English speaking WIC recipients is small, Gunderson said, however, at least 40 to 50 percent of the participants speak English as a second language. At the Malheur County WIC office, around 60 percent of the monthly visits involve participants with Spanish surnames, Ackley said.
President George W. Bush is a strong proponent of immigration reform and strengthening the nation’s borders.
During a national address in May 2006, Bush said: “Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society ...We’re a nation of laws and we must enforce our laws. We’re also a nation of immigrants, and we must uphold that tradition.”
Kulongoski also believes borders should be secure, Taylor said, but in terms of WIC, “It’s important to know that people who need to receive benefits are receiving them.”
