Thread: Immigration and Welfare

Immigration and Welfare

Although the United States’ welfare rolls are already swollen, every year we import more people who wind up on public assistance: immigrants. Many immigrants are poor; indeed, that is why they come here. The immigrants we admit are much poorer than the native population and are increasing the size of our impoverished population. As a result, the share of immigrant households below the poverty line (18 percent) is much higher than the share of native households that are poor (11 percent)—nearly twice as high. And immigrant households are more likely to participate in practically every one of the major means-tested programs. Immigrant use of welfare programs (21 percent) is 43 percent higher than non-immigrants’ use (15 percent).1

Each year, state governments spend an estimated $11 billion to $22 billion to provide welfare to immigrants.2

Why Are Immigrants On Welfare?

Some people mistakenly think that immigrants are not eligible for welfare. Several years ago, Congress did attempt to render immigrants ineligible for most forms of welfare. However, subsequent backpedaling by Congress and the executive branch has undone most of those reforms. Furthermore, many immigrant families get welfare through the eligibility of their U.S. citizen children. (It is also important to realize that even when immigrants are ineligible for federal welfare programs, the burden of their support is simply shifted over to the state and local welfare agencies.)

Refugees, asylees, and all amnestied illegal aliens are exempt from the public charge requirement.3 Congress has decided that the American people will serve as the sponsors for these immigrants and pick up the tab for their support.

All other immigrants must pass a public charge test and have a U.S. sponsor or sponsors willing to pledge their income to support them. Before a potential immigrant receives an immigration visa, American consular officers are supposed to evaluate whether he or she is likely to become a public charge, and, if so, to deny the visa. The consular officer is supposed to take into account a variety of factors: the amount of support the sponsor can give, the resources and skills of the applicant, and any special conditions (such as age or infirmity) that might affect the applicant’s need for support. The Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 set the new legal standard for the evaluation: the sponsor of the applicant must have an annual income of at least 125 percent of the federally designated poverty level. There are several problems with this standard:

The sponsorship income level, only 25 percent higher than the poverty level, is so low that it does not prevent immigrants from going on welfare; in fact, it almost guarantees it. Say a sponsor begins with an income of 200 percent of poverty level and is, therefore, not considered “legally poor.â€

I wish, wishfull thinking, that they would go back to the situation where the immigrant must have a sponser to be responsible for them until they could provide for themselves. In many countries, you can't move their unless you could support yourself.

No we have to get mad and let them know we aren't going to take this anymore or we will boot them out.
This guy says it better than me
One of these is the same as the one before so skip it and go to the nest one. but they are all there.
Alan keyes presidential candidate constitution party we'll see if he gets the nomination tonight. I'll let you know
Alan Keyes on border control and illegal immigration
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2K8F75owibI
Alan Keyes on illegal immigration (Part 1 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzqg_QWgnFY
Alan Keyes on illegal immigration (Part 2 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-taxkeodhxA
Alan Keyes on illegal immigration (Part 3 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39D8wYiXBk
Alan Keyes on illegal immigration (Part 4 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arOL-FGbX7g
Alan Keyes on illegal immigration (Part 5 of 5)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQUSjil-zqA