Thread: Cruz: Immigration bill, ObamaCare create ‘enormous incentive’ to hire immigrants

The Hill
By Ramsey Cox - 06/25/13

He said that because employers with more than 50 full-time employees will face a $5,000 penalty for not providing health insurance benefits, those employers would instead hire immigrants with resident provisional immigration (RPI) status instead of U.S. workers.

Cruz: Immigration bill, ObamaCare create ‘enormous incentive’ to hire immigrants

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) argued Tuesday that because the comprehensive immigration reform bill prohibits immigrant workers from getting ObamaCare benefits, employers will fire U.S. workers and replace them with immigrants.

Cruz said he wanted to offer an amendment to address the “most egregious aspect” of the immigration bill. He said that because employers with more than 50 full-time employees will face a $5,000 penalty for not providing health insurance benefits, those employers would instead hire immigrants with resident provisional immigration (RPI) status instead of U.S. workers.

“Anyone granted RPI status is exempted from ObamaCare, which means that the employers that would be hiring them do not face the tax of $5,000 per employee,” Cruz said. “This bill creates an enormous incentive to hire those here illegally and it does so by creating a statutory penalty for hiring U.S. citizens.”

The immigration bill — which is expected to pass by the end of the week — would grant nearly 11 million illegal immigrants provisional legal status for 10 years before they could then apply for a green card.

At the insistence of Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), immigrants would not be eligible for ObamaCare benefits in addition to other mean-tested welfare until after they've gained citizenship.

"What has this nation come to? It’s getting harder and harder to recognize America," Cruz said. "We're now considering a law that is thinly disguised as human trafficking."

Cruz said the bill creates a “$5,000 amnesty tax” for employers, causing them to fire U.S. employees and hire immigrants to avoid paying the penalty. He added that if this bill passes, unemployment for minorities and legal immigrants will increase.

The bipartisan group of eight senators, known as the Gang of Eight, introduced S. 744, which would create a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country, toughen border security, create a guest worker program and boost high-skilled immigration.

Cruz asked to call up his amendment, but Democrats objected. Cruz said his amendment would have defunded the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, until no more immigrants had RPI status — which would be at least 10 years.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...ire-immigrants

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Stan Carter butt_neckid • 13 hours ago
Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are scum then? I don't think so. Making statements like this does not further the cause to restore our Constitutional Republic. It creates an attitude nothing can be done so why try.

GLOWWORM2 Stan Carter • 12 hours ago
Sen. Cruz is not scum. He believes in our Constitution and is fighting for it. Sen. Lee, not so familiar with him, but if Sen. Cruz has picked him as a guy to stand next to, then I will stand with him. And there is ALWAYS something that can be done.

Jonathan Miller GLOWWORM2 • 11 hours ago
This comes from a life-long Republican. F*ck Karl Rove, John McShame, and Lindseed Grahamnesty. I compete daily with illegals in the construction field. Their presence has resulted in a 33% decrease in real wages as illegals have flooded the construction labor field. They receive food stamps and public assistance in spite of the protestations of liberals that that is illegal and does not happen. Once, my son-in-law was laid off and had to seek assistance due to the tight availability of jobs. At the office while seeking info., he watched a stream of Hispanics come in and were led immediately to processing. He chatted with one man who displayed "green cards" under 10 different aliases. He was informed that he had "too much money" coming in with only one salary @ 10 dollars an hour. He left empty-handed, after being told he qualified for $12 of assistance per month.
Things are not right in America. One half is for it, and another 1/4 are too stupid, apathetic, or lazy to do anything about it. That leaves about 1/4 that are aware, able, and care enough to try and change it. Support Ted Cruz and Mike Lee.

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