Thread: Some illegals benefit through their children

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635209014,00.html

For Sonia, it's a struggle to support two children as a single mother. She works full time in customer service for $8.50 an hour.
Sonia is undocumented. Her two young daughters are U.S. citizens, eligible for social services. For Sonia, who lives paycheck to paycheck, those services would mean security for her children.
"I think about it all the time," said Sonia, who asked to be identified only by her first name. "Both girls are little. I don't know what I'd do if they got sick." Sonia said she applied for food stamps and Medicaid for her daughters because she can't afford health insurance, but her income was too high. She is pregnant and is thinking about applying for social benefits again after her third daughter is born.

As Washington politicians continue to debate immigration reform, Sonia represents a growing number of immigrants who are getting a footing in American culture, in part through their citizen children.
Households with at least one immigrant member who isn't qualified to receive social benefits account for only about 5.5 percent of Utah's food stamp cases, according to Utah Department of Workforce Service statistics.

However, on average these households received nearly $38 more per month than the average of all recipients in April, according to data provided by DWS to the Deseret Morning News.
The ineligible immigrants include the undocumented and some legal immigrants. Some examples of non-citizens who are eligible are permanent residents who have lived in the United States for five years, legal immigrant children and refugees. Benefits for these households aren't given for members deemed to be ineligible.

Sonia moved to Utah from Mexico City 13 years ago to be closer to her mother. She speaks English fluently. One daughter will start kindergarten in the fall, and her younger daughter is ready for Head Start.
"Youths have a lot more opportunities here than anywhere else," Sonia said. "It's important to me that they stay here and that they are U.S. citizens." Activists against illegal immigration say Sonia represents a social cost that is spiraling out of control. Immigrant rights activists counter with claims of the economic benefits of illegal immigration. They add that illegal immigrants and others who aren't eligible are cut out of the benefits equation.

Even if some of those to whom the 5.5 percent of benefits is going are illegal immigrant-headed households, the numbers counter the "invasion" argument often used by activists against illegal immigrants, said Michael Clara, spokesman for the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force.
"They are contributing in taxes they'll never benefit from and paying into Social Security they're not benefitting from," Clara said. "The benefits far outweigh the services we are paying out." But Mike Sizer, chairman of Utahns for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, has a different view. He's among those who want a constitutional amendment to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

"I think at any cost it's still taxpayer money," Sizer said. "You also need to look at the potential growth of the cost of these programs if we don't start getting (illegal immigration) under control."
There were 3,095 mixed-eligibility households receiving a total of $773,873 in food stamps in April, according to the data. The total issuance was nearly $12 million. In such households, the total income and living cost is taken into account, but those who aren't eligible are taken out of the equation when money is distributed, said DWS spokesman Mike Richardson.

Ineligible immigrants also aren't included in household size or monthly benefits. Households with ineligible immigrants tended to have a lower household income but larger families and higher utility and shelter costs, he said. "This information is just a snapshot of April," he said. "I think this is a pretty good snapshot."
In general, working-age members in the mixed households were more likely to be employed than food stamps recipients overall, who were largely elderly, blind or disabled.

"We see it as work support for people who are working but do not make enough money to provide nutrition for their families," he said. Nationwide, just over half of food stamp recipients were children, and households with children received nearly 80 percent of benefits in fiscal 2003. The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $640. Food stamps are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

There are up to 100,000 illegal immigrants in Utah, according to a Pew Hispanic Center report based on the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2005 Current Population Survey.
The U.S. Senate is expected to debate this week a proposal that would give illegal immigrants an eventual chance at citizenship. Randy Capps, senior research associate at the Urban Institute, said it's unclear how any reform would impact the food stamp roles. "Studies have found undocumented parents are unlikely to apply for their (citizen) kids, even if they know they are eligible," he said. If those parents earned legal status, they may be more likely to apply for the benefits for their children, he said.

"I think about it all the time," said Sonia, who asked to be identified only by her first name. "Both girls are little. I don't know what I'd do if they got sick." Sonia said she applied for food stamps and Medicaid for her daughters because she can't afford health insurance, but her income was too high. She is pregnant and is thinking about applying for social benefits again after her third daughter is born.

So Sonia's already produced two anchors. About to deliver another soon. Can't live on $1300 a month before taxes. Guess what Sonia. We can't live on live on $1,000 a month either yet you expect us to feed your children and pay for their healthcare. PLUS pay for your food while pregnant so your third anchor will arrive healthy and happy.

Where's the father of these three anchors Sonia?

Send Sonia and her anchors back to wherever she came from. I'm tired of paying for her and others like her who keep sucking taxpayers dry.

"They are contributing in taxes they'll never benefit from and paying into Social Security they're not benefitting from," Clara said. "The benefits far outweigh the services we are paying out."

Michael Clara, spokesman for the Utah Hispanic Legislative Task Force, is another prime example of a illegal alien advocate probably paid for by taxpayers.

True Story......... An illegal alien from Mexico with three children age five and under who had slithered across the border only one week earlier managed to find her way to an "advocacy" group in central North Carolina from the eastern part of the state. She was there of course to find out about services that were available to her and her children.

True Store......... A non-English speaking illegal alien took public transportation to a hospital where taxpayers paid for the delivery of anchor baby. She also had two others in tow who required a baby sitter at taxpayers expense while she delivered with the services of a taxpayer-paid translator of course.

I thought President Regan did welfare reforum 20 years ago, so you could only get qet welfare for 2 years,and after that you had to get a job.

So why are the illegals allowed to be on welfare indefinately ?

Birth control, self control, it both works!

If she is like most illegals, she is living 20 people to a house and her portion for rent should be minimal

She is pregnant and is thinking about applying for social benefits again after her third daughter is born.

Just keep spitting them out, with a husband or mate. The fact is most all these women have a live-in mate, but can't get the benefits if they don't apply as a single mother. So they lie to get benefits. It's all so criminal and I am sick to death of all the sob stories. There are Americans, RIGHT NOW with sob stories of their own., so I don't want to hear this garbage from these people.