Trump claims over 50% Bangladeshis in US rely on govt aid

US President Donald Trump has claimed that more than half of Bangladeshi immigrant families living in the United States rely on government assistance in different sectors.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Monday, January 5, Trump shared a list of 120 countries showing the proportion of immigrant families from each country who receive various forms of US government support.

According to the list, no country has a rate below 25 per cent, indicating that only those countries where at least a quarter of immigrant families receive government assistance were included.

Bangladesh ranks 19th on the list. The data show that 54.8 per cent of Bangladeshi immigrant families residing in the United States receive some form of government assistance, including support related to healthcare, food programmes and other welfare services.

Trump, who is widely known for his hardline stance on immigration, released the list at a time when his administration is pursuing measures aimed at cutting subsidies in several sectors of the US economy and tightening policies that affect immigrants’ access to benefits.

Apart from Bangladesh, the list includes Pakistan, China, Myanmar and Bhutan. 

India does not feature on the list. Indian-American households generally earn incomes above the US median level. As a result, they are less likely to qualify for or depend on government benefits such as public healthcare or food assistance programmes.

Bhutan tops the list of 120 countries, with 81.4 per cent of immigrant families from the country receiving US government assistance. It is followed by Yemen, where 75.2 per cent of immigrant families rely on such support, and Somalia, which ranks third with 71.9 per cent.

Among other Asian countries, Afghanistan ranks sixth, with 68.1 per cent of immigrant families receiving government assistance. Iraq is placed 11th on the list, with a rate of 60.7 per cent, while Myanmar stands at 13th with 59.2 per cent. According to the data shared by Trump, 40.2 per cent of Pakistani immigrant families receive government assistance, compared to 32.9 per cent of Chinese immigrant families living in the United States.