They have to be, otherwise the vast welfare state system collapses. It&#x27;s why the big European welfare states can&#x27;t handle huge amounts of immigration very well. The greater the welfare state, the greater the influx of immigrants that you&#x27;re likely to see wanting to get there. The only reason the US was able to absorb the massive immigration it did on a few occasions in its history, was due to the almost complete non-existence of a welfare state at the time, immigrants had to make it on their own at very limited additional cost to the state or tax system. If you deployed a full European style welfare state in the US, and then attempted that scale of immigration again, it would collapse the political system and economy.