Thread: State of Oregon DHS will not notify ICE

For years the governor and state agencies have been proactive in trying to lure illegal aliens into the state by providing driver licenses and state services to them. Oregon is the only state on the West Coast that openly acknowledges that it issues driver licenses to illegal aliens, making us a magnet for ID theft, the methamphetamine trade and illegal immigration. The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), continues to print documents that say specifically to immigrants, "Food stamp offices will not contact INS with information from your food stamp application."

This was in an newsletter email I received tonight from Lars Larson's website regarding a rally tomorrow in the capitol (Salem). I have tried to access the actual downloadable pdf file in Spanish so I can translate it here. I will be doing that as soon as it allows me too (it keeps saying "page not accessible).

Are you kidding me?! I never knew Oregon was like this! Is there somewhere/someone I can write to regarding this? Please post any e-mail addresses you think may be helpful.

This has got to stop NOW!!

Thank you for opening my eyes to this.

Don't they have elections coming up and a chance to expose and remove the traitors?

Seems like now is the time if anyone else in the state cares about being invaded?

This is a direct email to the State of Oregon, listed on their "assistance" page. I emailed already.

caf.web@state.or.us

As for the elections, yes we have them coming up, and as well, Oregonians for Immigration Reform, conservative radio talk show host, Lars Larson as well, have been calling the state on this and many more issues.

The hopeful candidates are Republican Ron Saxton, and Constitution Party's Mary Starrett. I personally hope Mary wins, but my second is Ron Saxton. Our current Dem governor, Ted Kulongoski (otherwise known to us as "Ted Tax-and-gouge-me", and "Ted Kolonoscopy") has said publically he has absolutely no stand whatsoever on giving licenses or benefits to illegal aliens in this state.

We have a few good legislators within this state, my own district's is good, but she could lose and she does have an opinion on giving licenses and bennies to illegals, her opposer is a Portland liberal, more than 100%!!

I am still working on the PDF file where it says they will not turn them in, I am hoping to have that soon and have it translated for this site, and for public distribution!

Here's the email reply I received today, and my response:

Dear Ms. Xxxxx,

I have responded to the red font paragraph statements in green font. (see my responses added to your message below.) Thank you for writing us.

Sincerely, Naomi Steenson, Administrator
DHS Director's Office. DHS & Children's Ombudsman


>>> <Hoppeelj5@aol.com> 10/29/2006 11:00 PM >>>

I received a newsletter email from Lars Larson's site about the rally being held in the capitol tomorrow. In this email was the following statement. I would like to know if this is true, and if it is true, why is our state agencies helping illegal aliens? As well if this is true, does the public know their tax dollars are going to aid and abet illegal aliens? Isn't this against our current immigration laws?

"For years the governor and state agencies have been proactive in trying to lure illegal aliens into the state by providing driver licenses and state services to them. That is a statement of opinion - there is nothing written in state administrative rules, program manuals or agency transmittals that alludes to such a practice. The Dept. of Human Services (DHS) for example has extensive program training on verifying residency and non-citizen immigration status of applicants. A lot of inaccurate information gets passed around without any verifable facts or data to back it up. DHS social services programs are inundated with families in crisis and the agency does not have the budget to cover the services to meet these needs - so, luring "illegal aliens" into the state is the last thing DHS would place a priority on. Oregon is the only state on the West Coast that openly acknowledges that it issues driver licenses to illegal aliens, making us a magnet for ID theft, the methamphetamine trade and illegal immigration. Throughout the U.S., we are a magnet for identity theft, meth crimes, etc. Oregon is in the process of developing stricter verification of identification rules for issuing Driver's licenses. Law enforcement discovered an illicit business trade of forging illegal identification papers for undocumented non-citizens so that they could get drivers licenses. This story then hit the news media and many interpreted the story as Oregon willingly condoning this practice - when in fact, DMV admitted they may have unintentionally issued drivers' licenses to individuals with phony ID. The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), continues to print documents that say specifically to immigrants, "Food stamp offices will not contact INS with information from your food stamp application." Food Stamp offices are required to verify legal residency of all non-citizens. In the past however, some states forwarded food stamp applicants' personal information directly to INS based on their ethnicity which was a discriminatory practice. This caused many low-income families not to apply for benefits they were likely eligible for because they feared this sort of harrassment.

Another note, Food Stamp dollars come strictly from federal USDA funds (not state) and the money goes to local grocers and food merchants. Also, our Food Stamp data shows the average food stamp recipient family to be a 32 year old divorced white female who is raising her children by herself.

As not only a citizen of this state, as well a member of Americans For Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) I will be doing all I can to inform my fellow Oregonians about this, as well this has been posted to alipac.us as a main topic. I hope that the State of Oregon DHS has a really good explanation as to why they are aiding and abetting illegal aliens to not only have drivers licenses, but also encouraging them to apply for food stamp's by the statement within the Spanish forms.

I do look forward to an explanation form this agency, why our tax dollars are being spent to help non-citizens, as well as to print forms telling them that Oregon's DHS will not report them to ICE while helping them.

Sincerely, Elizabeth Xxxxx,

Thank you for your response, my question has not been answered though, does the state of Oregon DHS issue food stamp benefits to illegal aliens? Do illegal aliens possibly receive benefits to which they are not entitled to? It would be appreciated to have this question answered with full honesty of the process in which illegal aliens who are not entitled to those benefits are being "weeded out" in the application process.

Does the state DHS employees use the SAVE system which allows verification? If one would suggest that would be racist, then ALL applications and ID could be made subject to this process, therefore it would be fair across the board. I am sure not one legal immigrant or American citizen would be insulted to have their legitimate ID ran through this system in order to eliminate fraud within this system.

As for the demographics, I'm sure that they are pretty much on the money with that. However, I live within a complex where we are the only American family, it has been verified to us that all of the adults here, and the majority of the children age 7 and up are illegal aliens and I have been in our local store and have seen the mothers using an Oregon Trail card, these are mothers of little girls my own daughter has played with, many of which said they were born in Mexico and Guatemala.

Thank You,

Another email query and reply, it is only fair to post these as although I have my doubts about the overall states accuracy of keeping illegals out of the system, this director seems to believe that they are doing a good job. Note: it has been confirmed in The Oregonian in the past, that the governor said that they do not know that numbers of illegal aliens within the system as they do not ask!! So, although I feel the evidence points to use by illegal aliens, I am posting her reply for all to see:

Dear Mrs. Xxxxx,

I appreciate you writing me back and I apologize for not answering your questions thoroughly enough. Following each of your questions below this note are your questions in maroon font, my answers in bold font.

Again, I hope that my answers cover your questions. This issue is a big one - bigger than just our social service programs. The years of building up immigrating populations without effective measures to control the flow and legality of entry affects us all. It also impacts employment opportunities and the ability for working people to gain prosperity through decent living wages. There is no easy or simple answer because of so many factions involved including employers and businesses that profit financially from this situation. Thanks again Mrs. Xxxxx! Naomi

>>> <Xxxxxxlj5@aol.com> 10/30/2006 8:12 PM >>>

Thank you for your response, my question has not been answered though, does the state of Oregon DHS issue food stamp benefits to illegal aliens? Do illegal aliens possibly receive benefits to which they are not entitled to? It would be appreciated to have this question answered with full honesty of the process in which illegal aliens who are not entitled to those benefits are being "weeded out" in the application process.

DHS regulations for food stamp and other public assistance programs mandate all staff who do intakes, determination of program eligibility and processing to verify citizenship, federally authorized immigrant status and legal residency. This piece is one of numerous eligibility factors, such as verifiable low income and resource levels, etc. Dept. trainings direct staff that they are in violation of federal and state policy if they issue benefits to ineligible non-citizens.

As for your question about illegal aliens possibly receiving benefits to which they are not entitled to, according to our Quality Control Unit, which randomly pulls hundreds of cases each month for review, their numbers indicated that approximately half of 1 percent of the cases pulled for review had citizenship/immigration status errors made. Of this half of 1 percent group (0.05%) - the inaccuracies were 50/50 in that about half of these cases were non-citizens who actually were eligible but had been incorrectly denied based on citzenship/non-citizen status and the other half were ineligible non-citizens who were receiving benefits they were not eligible to receive. On these cases, immediate corrective action is required - so upon discovery, these ineligible cases are to be closed.

DHS has intensified their internal review processes across the board to ensure progrma accuracy in the citizen/non-citizen area as well as other eligiblity factors. Each Division (Children, Adults & Families, Senior & People with Disabilities, etc.) has program integrity review systems, DHS also has an internal audit system within the Directors Office. The Secretary of State's office also reviews the various programs as do the federal agencies like Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, Food & Nutrition Services under USDA (FS and WIC).

So as honestly as I can answer this question, I would hope that very few ineligible non-citizens get benefits. At least through all of these review processes, any cases like this that are discovered are directed to be closed and ineligible adults on the case are issued an overpayment that they must pay back the dollar amount of benefits they received for which they were not entitled to.

Does the state DHS employees use the SAVE system which allows verification? If one would suggest that would be racist, then ALL applications and ID could be made subject to this process, therefore it would be fair across the board. I am sure not one legal immigrant or American citizen would be insulted to have their legitimate ID ran through this system in order to eliminate fraud within this system.

Yes, DHS does direct employees to used the SAVE system - see the following link in the Family Services Manual: http://dhsmanuals.hr.state.or.us/EligMa ... 1/06&-find

New federal Medicaid rules under the Deficit Reduction Act went into place this summer that do now require all recipients to have their citizenship verified:
http://dhsmanuals.hr.state.or.us/EligMa ... 1/06&-find

As for the demographics, I'm sure that they are pretty much on the money with that. However, I live within a complex where we are the only American family, it has been verified to us that all of the adults here, and the majority of the children age 7 and up are illegal aliens and I have been in our local store and have seen the mothers using an Oregon Trail card, these are mothers of little girls my own daughter has played with, many of which said they were born in Mexico and Guatemala.
Thank You, Mrs. Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx

Food Stamp Program policies regulate that DHS can issue benefits to the legal eligible residents of a household group and deny benefits to the the ineligible non-citizen members. If you suspect fraud, you may report it to our DHS Faud Unit which does investigations based on reports of suspected fraud. You can contact the Fraud Unit and report anonymously through this link:
http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/aboutdhs/fraud/

If you do report and they investigate, you will not be informed of the outcome due to confidentiality laws. If the matter is determined to be a criminal violation, the inveitgation report gets turned over to the District Attorney's office and they decide if there is enough evidence to indict.

Following this last line, I have added several links to program manuals regarding citizenship alien status rules.


For Medicaid:
http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/citizen-medicaid.shtml
http://www.dhs.state.or.us/spd/tools/pr ... p/d.htm#02
For Oregon Health Plan:

http://www.dhs.state.or.us/spd/tools/pr ... p/d.htm#02
For Food Stamps:
http://dhsmanuals.hr.state.or.us/EligMa ... ionCitizen

Also - Some DMV links
(Note- DMV is a part of ODOT and not part of our agency)
http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/news/nr_ ... _640.shtml

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/news/nr_20060817.shtml

http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/DMV/news/nr_20060817.shtml

If you look at that last paragraph, you'll discover that the issue being alluded to but not directly addressed is that state and federal agencies consider so-called "anchor babies" to be US citizens. So an illegal entrant who manages to bear a child on US soil can receive food stamps for whatever children she and her spouse bear here. Of course, there is absolutely no way to separate which food purchased with food stamps goes to the "legal" anchor babies and which goes to illegal family members.

So true Crocket. However, the mother in the store I wrote to this state worker in referance to, has no anchor babies. The unfortunate thing is that I know the little girls name, but her mothers I do not know, and only have an apartment number.

What makes this a frustrating thing for all Americans is that I can say with a good amount of assuredness that although they might audit 1 in 100 applications for review for mistakes, it is highly unlikely to catch all of the illegals who have gotten into the system. They can talk audits all they want, but it still won't cut it.

I do believe that what happens most of the time is that you have mom "A" with three anchor babies, and also two illegal kids, she goes in, and gets foodstamps for the three, claims no income, and says daddy is not around now (although he is). How you say do I know that? Well here's the scoop.

About 1 and 1/2 years ago this young woman, barely 24, born here, was going on her fourth child while living in this complex. She was not married to the father. She admitted to me she was getting full foodstamps for the kids because the state thought the boyfriend lived elsewhere. She also told me that all of the Latino (illegals she said) do this. She said "you ever notice how they have a different last name as their kids fathers?", I said I did not know of any names here. She then told me that one woman her mother knew had two kids before she came here through AZ, then her and her husband had four more, she claimed she was not married, got food help and cash along with healthcare, and was in a reduced rent apartment, while her husband worked for $8.00 hourly.

This young woman said these women are exempt from the jobs program the state has as they have small kids all of the time, and as well do not speak a lick of English.