Thread: Officials likely to ban heating aid for illegal immigrants

Officials likely to ban heating aid for illegal immigrants
By Brian Lockhart
Published October 12 2007

Despite legislative opposition, state social services officials are likely to establish stricter procedures aimed at preventing illegal immigrants from receiving federal funds for heating assistance this winter.

A more thorough screening policy would require applicants to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance fund to provide Social Security numbers for all household members. The numbers would then be checked by the state Department of Social Services to determine immigration status.

Several Democratic lawmakers have refused to vote on a proposal, reviewed recently at a pair of joint hearings of the General Assembly's Human Services, Appropriations and Energy committees.

But spokesmen for the DSS and the state Office of Policy and Management said this week that the committees' inaction may allow the plan to go into effect as submitted.

"There's some interpretation we may have the authority, but nothing hard and fast," DSS spokesman David Dearborn said. "We'll be discussing that."

One of the plan's most vocal opponents, state Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia, said DSS could implement the stricter policy without the endorsement of the three legislative committees.

"It's whatever DSS and OPM decide to do," said Prague, who sits on the Appropriations Committee. "They are fearful we might lose the federal funds."

For years, DSS, in consultation with lawmakers, has contracted annually with the state's 12 nonprofit community action agencies to distribute millions in federal energy assistance grants.

In lower Fairfield County, the agencies are Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now and CTE Inc. in Stamford.

According to DSS, last year about $60 million was distributed to vendors to help provide heat for 86,000 needy households. About 2,000 of those households were served through NEON, and 2,500 through CTE.

This year, the state stands to receive more than $48 million from the federal government for heating assistance.

The screening process, according to DSS and community action agency officials, always has required Social Security numbers, but focused more on an applicant's income eligibility than on their immigration status. And for years, they said, it was never a problem.

"It is an income-eligible program," said Edith Karsky, executive director for the Connecticut Association For Community Action, the umbrella organization for the state's 12 agencies.

Dearborn acknowledged that although Social Security numbers might have been collected by the individual agencies, the agencies and state officials made no effort to verify them.

The debate over whether illegal immigrants should receive federal heating assistance was raised recently by a case involving New Haven's community action agency. A whistleblower complained that staff were bypassing the Social Security section of the applications, using place-holder numbers to knowingly provide home heating assistance to illegal immigrants.

Dearborn said an investigation was pending.

"The agency wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, from what I understand," Karsky said.

But providing heating assistance to illegal immigrants, according to state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, flaunts federal law. So as they prepared to renew their contracts this year with the agencies, DSS and OPM specified that "nonqualified aliens" are not eligible for heating assistance. They also specifically stated that applicants must provide Social Security numbers for all household members, which will then be checked by DSS.

According to the new DSS policy, the presence of nonqualified people in a household will not make that household ineligible. But the income from the nonqualified people will be used in determining how much energy assistance is provided.

The plan received a cold reception from Democrats such as Prague on the three oversight committees. They fear illegal immigrants would be left to freeze this winter and legal residents like U.S.-born children might hurt.

The legislature's Republican minority has urged Democrats to back the plan and prove to the federal government that Connecticut intends to follow the law.

Senate Minority Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, said Democrats want to continue engaging in a game of "don't ask, don't tell" with heating aid applicants.

"This shouldn't be about immigration issues," McKinney said. "If what's happening in New Haven is happening (at other Community Action Agencies) there's great concern we'll jeopardize federal funds."

Staff at NEON and CTE Inc. in Stamford said they have always required Social Security numbers from clients.

"They either have one or they don't. If they don't have a Social Security number, we can't put them on the application," said Juanita Ball, who has overseen NEON's distribution of federal energy assistance for 27 years. "NEON does not make up Social Security numbers."

Karsky said that despite her personal opposition to the stricter screening process, the community action agencies will not oppose the new terms of their distribution contract with DSS.

"We certainly don't want to throw things into a tizzy and have people not know where to go or what to do," Karsky said.

Patricia Wrice, executive director of the Bloomfield-based Operation Fuel, confirmed claims by DSS and OPM that anyone who is disqualified from the home energy assistance program can ask her organization for heating aid.

"When someone comes to our fuel banks in need we verify income and eligibility," Wrice said. "We never ask them their immigration status and I'm really reluctant (to). That's a polarizing topic. We're a program designed to help those in need."

Operation Fuel Inc. is mainly funded through private donations. But Wrice said $5 million was recently set aside in the state budget for the program.

http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/lo ... -headlines

You know,
I think if the criminals are doing all they say they are doing, (livening the American dream and doing the jobs Americans wont do) (Working so hard to feed the family) and all the other wish wash mumbo jumbo they scream all the time
The so called illegal immigrants don’t need any help this winter…
They got it all together...

It's warmer south of the border!

It they start to leave now they can be back in their native countries before the snow falls!

There's a poll on the story page too.

Should illegal immigrants be eligible for heating aid?



22.1%
Yes (46 responses)


77.9%
No (162 responses)

208 total responses

I know for a fact Illegals are getting IHEAP in FL. and there is only a limited amount of money available so citizens go without because of the overwhelming Illgal Alien applications ! This is WRONG and I always thought of the Dems being for poor Americans,who are mostly Seniors, but that seems to have changed and now they are the party of the Illegal Aliens & Legal H-1B immigrants !!


Should Illegals be eligible for Heating Aid?

YES - 21.6 % - 48 votes

NO - 78.4 % - 174 votes

Vote total - 222

Should illegal immigrants be eligible for heating aid?

20.0%

Yes (52 responses)

80.0%

No (208 responses)

260 total responses

NO..especially when the very poorest Americans have trouble trying to get aid.

I think we have plenty of citizens who need these funds!! They should not be going to law breakers!


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Maybe we should go to some of their boards and start talking about how COLD it is going to be this winter, how it will be the worst winter in decades. No one will be able start their cars, no heat or electricity, people will be trapped in their homes for weeks by 20 foot snowdrifts, etc. Make it sound like something out of 'Doctor Zhivago'.

This is great. As we begin to deny the illegals everything they previously took advantage of it will make it just that more difficult for them. They will begin to get the message. Every little thing like this is a victory for us and adds to our fight. We ARE winning this battle!