Thread: California Must Withdraw Welcome Mat for Illegal Immigrants

I love this guy!

http://www.californiachronicle.com/arti ... leID=16520

California Must Withdraw Welcome Mat for Illegal Immigrants

Elton Gallegly is a senior member of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and Chair of the 1995 Congressional Task Force on Immigration Reform.

Congressman Elton Gallegly
November 13, 2006
In the past two columns, I've discussed two magnets that attract illegal immigrants to the United States. Employment, of course, is the big one. The second is the acceptance of easily forged, foreign-issued identification by banks to open accounts. That practice is also a boon to drug smugglers and terrorists.

But many other magnets, provided by states and local governments, provide incentives for illegal immigrants to migrate here.

While it's true that the federal government provides some benefits for illegal immigrants - such as lower education and emergency health care - some states go far beyond that.

California offers some of the greatest benefits to illegal immigrants, which is why it is home to an estimated 40 percent of the U.S. illegal population. If California doesn't change its tactics towards illegal immigrants, it could see that percentage climb much higher with all the associated troubles it brings.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, state legislatures introduced more than 500 pieces of legislation targeting illegal immigration during the first six months of this year. At least 57 of those bills passed, the highest number ever recorded. The bills were spread out among 27 states. California was not among them.

Instead, California is one of only 10 states that provides in-state college and university tuition to illegal immigrants. That's grossly unfair to a legal high school student who moves out of California for a year, then returns to attend college. That student will pay about $17,000 a year more than an illegal student - who shouldn't be entitled to attend anyway.

In addition, California spends nearly $1 billion a year in Medi-Cal services for an average of 780,000 illegal immigrants a month, over and above emergency health services.

Births to Medi-Cal-covered and illegal immigrant women jumped 25 percent from 1995 to 2004, from about 85,000 to 105,000 a year. Costs associated with those births skyrocketed 135 percent.

The federal government is trying to rein in those costs by requiring proof of citizenship or legal status to receive full benefits, which is slated to go into effect this summer. But according to at least one published report, California officials are looking into ways to skirt those requirements.


Of course, not all illegal immigrants take advantage of Medi-Cal for pay their health care bills. Many just don't pay. Hospitals are forced to pick up the slack, amounting to an estimated $1.4 billion a year. Hospitals pass the costs onto paying patients or close their doors.

Local governments also provide magnets for illegal immigrants. Los Angeles and San Francisco, for instance, have declared themselves to be sanctuaries where cooperation with federal immigration authorities is disallowed. These sanctuary laws, such as Los Angeles' Special Order 40, are illegal under the 1996 federal immigration law and a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But, as we've already seen, federal immigration laws are rarely enforced.

More than 375,000 known illegal immigrants have been ordered deported but have disappeared pending immigration hearings. It seems likely most are hiding in declared sanctuaries.

In an attempt to force compliance with the law, the House passed provisions in two spending bills this year that would withhold Homeland Security and other federal funds from state and local governments with sanctuary policies.

Another magnet is the acceptance of the matricula consular card as legitimate identification by police and local government agencies, including both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. With this easily forged, foreign government-issued ID, illegal immigrants can use an array of county services and avoid arrest.

Only illegal immigrants, criminals and terrorists need consular cards for identification. Those legally in the country would have other identification. Anyone using a consular card should be assumed to be illegally in the country and arrested, not coddled.

The above are just some of the magnets that draw illegal immigrants to California. Fortunately, there's an easy fix. End sanctuaries. Assume that anyone who offers a consular card as identification is here illegally and arrest them. End subsidized higher education for illegal immigrants. Provide emergency care for anyone, but if they're illegally in the United States send them home when they have recovered.

As I said in the first of this series of columns, the current debate about the House and Senate immigration bills is a debate about enforcing our laws. Until the United States returns to its foundation as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws, discussion about any other aspects of immigration reform is mute.

California and its cities and counties need to recognize they are part of the problem. Other states are stepping up to the plate, even as the House tries to force the federal government to do the same. California and local officials must take a lead in this endeavor, by reconsidering its policy of accepting consular cards as legitimate identification and turning a blind eye to the problems illegal immigration causes in our state.

http://www.house.gov/gallegly/press2006 ... border.htm

October 24, 2006 Contact: Tom Pfeifer
(202) 225-5811

U.S. Border Control
8180 Greensboro Drive,Suite 1070
McLean, VA 22102
www.usbc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Ron Pearson 202-547-7177
Rep. Gallegly Vote Rating Puts Him in Border Control
Hall of Fame
WASHINGTON, DC—Rep. Elton Gallegly, from the 24th District of California, was named to U.S. Border Control’s Hall of Fame for the 109th Congress for his voting record and leadership on border and immigration issues. USBC’s mission is to end illegal immigration by securing the nation’s borders and reforming border and immigration policies.

“Representative Gallegly has distinguished himself by scoring 100 percent on all the House bills and amendments that U.S. Border Control had selected in its voting analysis of legislation critical to reforming America’s border and immigration policies,” USBC Chairman Edward I. Nelson said.

In recognition of his service to the nation, Representative Gallegly has been placed in U.S. Border Control’s Hall of Fame for the 109th Congress. A complete listing of how every Representative and Senator scored and the votes used in USBC’s analysis can be found on U.S. Border Control’s website (www.usbc.org).

Chairman Nelson continued, “The people in the 24th District of California are fortunate to have such a Member of Congress working for their best interests. There is much to be done to secure our borders against drugs, disease, terrorism, and illegal migration, while developing sensible and fair immigration policies. The 109th Congress has made an important start in that direction by passing the Secure Fence Act, but much more needs to be done.”

U.S. Border Control is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, established in 1988. U.S. Border Control educates the public on issues related to protecting the sovereignty of the United States. These include the establishment and maintenance of effective border integrity systems, economic policies, national defense practices, and immigration policies focusing on ending illegal immigration by securing the nation's borders and reforming immigration policies.

The federal government has to pass a law to stop cities from becoming sanctuary cities. If they did there would be less places for them to hide.

Another magnet is the acceptance of the matricula consular card as legitimate identification by police and local government agencies, including both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. With this easily forged, foreign government-issued ID, illegal immigrants can use an array of county services and avoid arrest.

Only illegal immigrants, criminals and terrorists need consular cards for identification. Those legally in the country would have other identification. Anyone using a consular card should be assumed to be illegally in the country and arrested, not coddled.