Thread: Secure Arkansas working,legislation, stop illegals benefits

Secure Arkansas working to put legislation on ballot preventing illegals from receiving benefits
Amanda Terrebonne 36 mins ago

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An Arkansas group wants tougher legislation to prevent illegal immigrants from getting public benefits.


The group, Secure Arkansas, is stepping up efforts to get the legislation on the November ballot.

They are looking for a constitutional amendment to state law to stop illegal immigrants from enjoying public programs like education and health care. They also say criticism over the new law passed in Arizona is unfounded and they want a similar one here.

There is no official number as to how many illegal immigrants currently live in Arkansas but Jeannie Burlsworth with Secure Arkansas estimates about 75,000 or more, she says, are living off taxpayers' money.

"We don't have the resources in Arkansas to support illegal aliens. And I feel like on health care, we don't have the resources to do that. We don't have the resources to educate them," she said.

Though not against legal immigration, Burlsworth's group strongly opposes those who come here illegally. Their proposed legislation would make it harder for undocumented immigrants to receive government help in Arkansas.

"Our constitutional amendment does two things: it limits public benefits to illegal aliens and it causes the state agencies to track the dollar amount that's being paid out to illegal aliens," Burlsworth said.

Secure Arkansas has less than a third of the 77,000 signatures they say they need to place the measure on a ballot.

Burlsworth doesn't expect her group to stop pushing until Arkansas adopts stricter illegal immigration enforcement laws.

This is all playing out here in Arkansas in the wake of a controversial bill signed into law Friday states away.

The Arizona anti-illegal immigration law gives police power to ask for a person's immigration papers; but only if they've stopped them for violating another law.

It's received widespread criticism from U.S. senators to the president. And now, an Arkansas civil rights group.

"For us, if any reform occurs, it needs to occur at the federal level and it needs to be done in the right process," said Steve Copley, chairman of the Arkansas Friendship Coalition.

Copley says his group is against punitive legislation against immigrants and a state level move like the one in Arizona could have negative effects.

"It seems to have actually built in racial profiling," Copley said of the Arizona law.

But Burlsworth says, "To make a racial issue out of it, that's just off-base."

Secure Arkansas needs to get 77,000 petition signatures by July 2 for the measure to make it on to the November ballot. So far, they say, 25,000 Arkansans have signed.

The Arkansas Friendship Coalition is ready to fight Secure Arkansas on this. Members are working with lawmakers to make sure the state doesn't undermine federal immigration laws already in place.


http://www.todaysthv.com/news/local/sto ... 23&catid=2

Text of the petition can be found at:
securearkansas.com

Even if this passes, if illegals are allowed to give birth here, Arkansas taxpayers will still be supporting their citizen anchor babies for 18 years. Stopping benefits to illegals doesn't stop them from going to their U.S. born children.