L'Emmerdeur wrote:Forty Two wrote:It's really upsetting to lawful immigrants who are living within the system to see illegals getting so much largess from the system. Illegals here end up with free health care, government assistance, food stamps, and all sorts of stuff. There is no enforcement. It's a real problem.
Undocumented immigrants do not qualify for welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, and most other public benefits. Most of these programs require proof of legal immigration status and under the 1996 welfare law, even legal immigrants cannot receive these benefits until they have been in the United States for more than five years.
They're not supposed to work without work authorization either. The problem is the verification process is ineffective. There is little to no enforcement.
L'Emmerdeur wrote:
Non-citizen immigrant adults and children are about 25% less likely to be signed up for Medicaid than their poor native-born equivalents and are also 37% less likely to receive food stamps, according to a 2013 study by the Cato Institute.
"Non-citizen immigrant" =/= illegal immigrant. Of course noncitizen immigrant adults and children are less likely to be signed up for Medicaid. That is as it should be, because to apply for immigrant status (permanent residence), a lawful -- repeat lawful - immigrant has to provide affidavits and documentation of support to show that they can support themselves. Lawful immigrants based on employment have jobs, so they wouldn't normally have to be on Medicaid (LAWFUL immigration based on a job that pays low wages, such as unskilled workers, is very limited, as it should be). LAWFUL immigrants based on family relationships have SPONSORS, who commit to supporting the immigrant.
If you looked at the rate of illegal immigrants obtaining free medical care and/or getting Medicaid, you will see that the percentage among illegal immigrants is much much higher than among legal immigrants.
The laws are so weak, they are getting driver licenses and/or state/county identification, and applying for benefits that way.
Note - According to the U.S. Census Bureau, at least one third of foreign born person in the United States are illegal aliens. One in three. One out of every three foreign born person is an illegal alien. That's not peanuts. Consider, also, that once an illegal alien gives birth to a child here in the US, they become eligible for welfare/WIC, food stamps, Medicaid/SCHIP, and other benefits available to low income people. What is very common is an illegal alien working under the table (office cleaning services, flooring/construction work, etc.), and then declaring no or very low income. They have a child, and collect every benefit in the book meant for low income households.
And, of course, some illegals enter with forged documents, and still others buy forged documents when they get here. There is a market for the purchase of social security numbers which are used to secure employment. The failure of the government to improve security, verify immigrant status, and recognize forged documents are what cause illegal aliens to receive benefits.
L'Emmerdeur wrote:
Citizen children of illegal immigrants -- often derogatorily referred to as "anchor babies" -- do qualify for social benefits. Also, undocumented immigrants are eligible for schooling and emergency medical care. Currently, the average unlawful immigrant household costs taxpayers $14,387 per household, according to a recent report by The Heritage Foundation. But in its 2013 "Immigration Myths and Facts" report, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says most economists see providing these benefits as an investment for the future, when these children become workers and taxpayers.
LOL - average illegal immigrant household costs taxpayers $14,387 annually. there are about 12 million illegals, so, let's call the average household a household of 4, and so we'll call it 3 million households. $43,161,000,000. That's a cost of $43.16 billion. A cost for people who should never have come here in the first place.
If it's such a great investment, say "most economists," then why don't we give every American household with children $14,387 annually. After all, it's just a great investment for the future, for when children become workers and taxpayers. Heck, why stop there? Give US citizen households $30,000 annually, and watch the money grow!
L'Emmerdeur wrote:
A CBO report on the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 concluded that a path to legalization for immigrants would increase federal revenues by $48 billion. Such a plan would see $23 billion in increased costs from the use of public services, but ultimately, it would produce a surplus of $25 billion for government coffers, CBO said.
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Indeed, which is essentially based on the notion that if you legalize these folks, and they take above-the-table jobs, they will pay more in taxes, yes. However, this is not an argument in favor of allowing illegal immigration, or not beefing up restrictions. It's an argument for admitting those currently in the US, at least with children, to the US despite the fact that they did not qualify for lawful entry in the first place. It says, on a cost benefit analysis, it's better to admit them to lawful status, than to try to get rid of them. That may well be what has to be done for a good chunk of those already lawfully present, particularly with children that have never lived in their parents' home countries.
That doesn't change the fact that we should be admitting the people we want in the country lawfully, and excluding the ones that we don't want. There are many, many law abiding persons -- in fact the vast majority of everyone complies with the law and would not try to come in illegally -- there are many, many people waiting all over the world, waiting on immigration waiting lists, applying and re-applying for visas and green cards, and the like, who would really like to come here - through the front door - and be those "taxpayers" that the economists are referring to. If we didn't have to admit millions of illegal immigrants, who gave the finger to the law as they crossed over knowingly without permission, we could admit millions of other folks who have respect for the process and the law.
If illegal immigration is such a good investment, then why do no other civilized, western countries allow unrestricted illegal immigration? Why are they not hesitant to send people back to their home countries, when they march across a border without even applying or stopping for inspection?
And, what gives the illegal immigrant a right that a citizen, of any country, would not have? When people cross international borders, they generally have to stop for inspection. Fuck, if I go to Canada, I have to stop in front of a Canadian immigration officer and justify my attempted entry. I have to show proof of citizenship to enter (and state a non-immigrant reason for entering Canada, like visiting, business meetings, etc.), and if I can't, they will turn me around and send me right back. If I enter for the purpose of immigrating to Canada, the Canadian immigration officer will turn me right around and tell me I have to fill out an application and follow the proper process. I could, of course, find a wooded location and cross over into Canada, and if they found me, would they allow me to legally work, and go to school in Canada, then support my family when I parented a child in Canada, then give me a "path to citizenship" after paying $14,000 per year for me for couple decades as an "investment" in Canada's future?
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
