ELOIS ZEANAH: Immigration laws must be enforced
My Turn

I want to respond to the March 31 editorial 'Legislators should rethink reforming immigration laws,' which concludes that the Alabama Legislature should address more pressing issues than illegal immigration. In a time of budget crisis when Alabama families are having to do with less to give more to illegal immigrants, when innocent victims like Tuscaloosa's 20-year-old Holly Rogers are killed by illegal drivers, when prisons are overcrowded and schools suffer because of funding shortages (both exacerbated by illegal immigration), and while illegal immigration grows every year, there is no more pressing issue.

Support of illegal immigration suggests that it's OK to disobey the law when one disagrees with it; for illegal aliens to steal Social Security numbers; for employers to commit tax fraud and undercut businesses that follow the law; for illegal households to take public benefits from needy Alabama citizens; and for immigrants to forego health screening and put Alabama citizens at risk. To hold this belief shows disrespect for the law, a lack of compassion for those whose lives are harmed by illegal immigration; and a lack of understanding of the consequences to state programs and budgets.

One of the most pressing issues for the Alabama Legislature is the budget crisis. A total of $600 million must be cut from the 2009 state budget. One of the simplest ways to cut spending is to cut the growth of state benefits for illegal immigration. For example:

Education:

The Legislature proposes cutting $400 million from education. State testimony reflects that taxpayers pay about $200 million every year to educate children of illegal immigrants. While we must educate children of illegal aliens already in Alabama, the Legislature must curb the growth of illegal immigration or consequences will be even more severe.

Medicaid:

$150 million more is needed this year to sustain last year's services. Illegal immigrants with babies born in the U.S. are heavy users of Medicaid programs.

Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Health funds:

This fund will run dry in the near future at the current growth rate according to the state health officer. He admits that illegal immigration is taking a toll on WIC funds.

Homeless:

The Tuscaloosa News reported that Alabama has 5,391 homeless on an average night. 64 percent are black, 1,077 of the homeless are families with dependent children and 974 are veterans. The more money Alabama spends on illegal households, the less money Alabama can spend to support our homeless, poor households, and other urgent needs of legal residents.

Public Safety and other programs and services are impacted as well by illegal immigration. If legislators remain 'soft on crime' and do not join neighboring cities of Georgia and Mississippi, which recently passed new laws, Alabama will become more of a magnet for illegal aliens. It is proven that illegal immigrants leave states that pass tough laws and migrate to states that don't.

The Legislature has two weeks to act. An Alabama work ID for non-citizens (SB426) is one of the bills that must pass if the Legislature is serious about protecting communities, schools, families, public safety and budgets from mounting impacts of illegal immigration. If the Legislature fails for the third straight year to fix the problem, it will once again favor businesses, which flaunt the law and profit from illegal labor to the detriment of citizens and taxpayers.

Elois Zeanah of Tuscaloosa is a member of the State Patriotic Commission on Immigration. Her e-mail address is eloisz@hotmail.com.
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