Thread: Immigration Report Provokes Strong Reaction

http://wcco.com/local/local_story_353093004.html

Dec 19, 2005 10:05 am US/Central

Immigration Report Provokes Strong Reaction

Lisa Kiava
Reporting


(WCCO) Minneapolis Many immigrants are upset about a state report on the cost of illegal immigration in Minnesota, and they met to share their reaction Sunday.

The report calculated the cost at roughly $175 million, and that had some immigrants and community leaders speaking out at a gathering held inside a Minneapolis school.

"I pay taxes and Social Security, and I don't ask for any help from the government to buy for my kids clothes, shoes and food," Mexican immigrant Antonia Alverez said through a translator.

Leaders from several communities say the report didn't outline the benefits immigrants contribute, which were estimated in another study at $300 million a year.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty responded to critics Sunday at a press conference following his return from Camp Shelby in Mississippi.

"The issue isn't whether the costs outweigh the benefits or the benefits outweigh the costs -- that's not the point," Pawlenty said. "The point is we need to have a system that's legal and orderly and reasonable, and our current system is not."

Jim Wilson said he attended Sunday's meeting because his landscaping business has grown thanks to immigrant workers. Wilson employs legal Hispanic immigrants, but he understands how crucial undocumented workers are to other agricultural operations.

"They just really want to come here," Wilson said. "They want to work. They want to better their lives, and they just want a part of the American dream, like all of us do."

Community leaders said they planned to meet with the governor to discuss why they see the report as flawed.

Pawlenty plans to introduce legislation that would encourage legal immigration, such as better identification.

The coalition in the immigrant community says it prefers measures they see as more helpful to immigrant workers.

Coalition members pointed out several economic contributions are made by immigrants, such as Social Security paid by undocumented workers who cannot benefit from the system.

Maybe they should look at this also.

Remittances from the US to Latin America, 2004
Total amount of remittances to Latin America (in millions)

$147


Number of Latin American adult immigrants
78,322

Average amount sent per Latin American adult immigrant
$1,877

Percentage of immigrants that send money regularly
56%

Average number of times sent per year 14.0
Average amount sent with each remittance $240

Doesn't sound like money is going back into the US Economy to me.


http://www.iadb.org/exr/remittances/minnesota.cfm

The Social Security deduction is 6.2% of a pay check. We hear from illegals aliens and their advocates Social Security takes away that amount from them and does not give it back to them.

The Social Security Service is suposed to protect people with employment eligibility from an insufficiency of savings.

May I suggest that there is an illegal alien deduction from a paycheck of 100%. If an illegal alien is holding a job that by law should have gone to a legal or an American the entire pay check is lost.