Jan 21 2008
Illegal Immigration
I usually avoid what can be construed as political debates. Personally I believe politics and politicians were best summed up by the late Will Rogers in his statement, “politics has ruined many a good man. After entering them he is never good for an honest job again.” But the controversy surrounding illegal immigrants in the United States transcends politics. It is a matter of national security and economic survival. With this in mind I’d like to forward some food for thought.
Nonsense about the situation is being blathered from both sides of the isles in Washington. From the right we hear Guillaini criticising Romney for his “sanctuary mansion” on the left we hear Clinton agreeing with the New York govenor’s plan to license illegals, before she disagreed with it. We have to face it, out politicians in Washington are out of touch with the real world and the wishes of those who put them in office. They offer us no real solutions to the problem. And it is a very real problem. A perfect example can be found in Dallas, Texas. And I quote from Snopes here:
Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas is a fairly famous institution and for a variety of reasons:
1. John F. Kennedy died there in 1963
2. Lee Harvey Oswald died there shortly after
3. Jack Ruby, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, died there a few years later by coincidence
On the flip side, Parkland is also home to the second busiest maternity ward in the country with almost 16,000 new babies arriving each year. (That’s almost 44 per day — every day)
A recent patient survey indicated that 70 percent of the women who gave birth at Parkland in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants.’ Crikey, that’s 11,200 anchor babies born every year just in Dallas. According to the article, the hospital spent $70.7 million delivering 15,938 babies in 2004 but managed to end up with almost $8 million dollars in surplus funding. Medicaid kicked in $34.5 million, Dallas County taxpayers kicked in $31.3 million and the feds tossed in another $9.5 million.
The average patient in Parkland’s maternity wards is 25 years old, married and giving birth to her second child. She is also an illegal immigrant. By law, pregnant women cannot be denied medical care based on their immigration status or ability to pay. OK, fine. That doesn’t mean they should receive better care than everyday, middle-class American citizens. But at Parkland Hospital, they do.
Parkland Memorial Hospital has nine prenatal clinics. NINE. The Dallas Morning News article followed a Hispanic woman who was a patient at one of the clinics and pregnant with her third child — her previous two were also born at Parkland. Her first two deliveries were
free and the Mexican native was grateful because it would have cost $200 to have them in Mexico. This time, the hospital wants her to pay $10 per visit and $100 for the delivery but she was unsure if she could come up with the money. Not that it matters, the hospital won’t turn her away. (I wonder why they even bother asking at this point.)How long has this been going on? What are the long-term effects? Well, another subject of the article was born at Parkland in 1986 shortly after her mother entered the U.S. illegally — now she is having her own child there as well. (That’s right, she’s technically a U.S. citizen.) These women receive free prenatal care including medication, nutrition, birthing classes and child care classes. They also get freebies such as car seats, bottles, diapers and formula.
Most of these things are available to American citizens as well but only for low-income applicants and even then, the red tape involved is almost insurmountable.
Because these women are illegal immigrants they do not have to provide any sort of legitimate identification — no proof of income. An American citizen would have to provide a social security number which would reveal their annual income — an illegal immigrant need only claim to be poor and the hospital must take them at their word.
My husband is a pilot for the United States Navy (yes, he fought in Iraq) and while the health care is good, we Navy wives don’t get any of these perks! Car seats? Diapers? Not so much. So my question is this: Does our public medical care system treat illegal immigrants better than American citizens? Yes it does!
As I mentioned, the care I have received is perfectly adequate but it’s bare bones, meat and potato medical care — not top of line.
Their (the illegals) medical care is free — simply because they are illegal immigrants? Once again, there is no way to verify their income. Parkland Hospital offers indigent care to Dallas County earn less than $40,000 per year. (They also have to prove that they did not refuse health coverage at their current job. Yeah, the ‘free’ care is not so easy for Americans.)
There are about 140 patients who received roughly $4 million dollars for un-reimbursed medical care. As it turns out, they did not qualify for free treatment because they resided outside of Dallas County. So the hospital is going to sue them! Illegals get it all free! But U.S. citizens who live outside of Dallas County get sued! How stupid is this?
As if that isn’t annoying enough, the illegal immigrant patients are actually complaining about hospital staff not speaking Spanish. In this AP story, the author speaks with a woman who is upset that she had to translate comments from the hospital staff into Spanish for her husband. The doctor was trying to explain the situation to the family and the mother was forced to translate for her husband who only spoke Spanish.This was apparently a great injustice to her.
In an attempt to create a Spanish-speaking staff, Parkland Hospital is now providing incentives in the form of extra pay for applicants who speak Spanish. Additionally, medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern for which Parkland Hospital is the training facility will now have a Spanish language requirement added to their already jammed-packed curriculum. No other school in the country boasts such a ridiculous multi-semester (multicultural) requirement.
The above information illustrates the very real problem that is faced in just one city in a border state. Each and every state in the country is negatively impacted by this continuing situation. To hear it from our friends on the left you would think that without the illegal immigrants in our midst we would face a labor crisis that would border in severity with our present oil crisis. Not true.
The cost of illegal immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year, [Professor Donald Huddle, Rice University].
The truth is they are costing us a fortune. Not only in taxpayer money, but also in lost jobs. To listen to the pundits in Washington you’d think they were performing a public service by coming here and “taking jobs Americans won’t do”. What they are doing is coming here, being hired by unscrupulous employers and undercutting the honest mom and pop businesses by underbidding contracts. They pay less, make more and have an unfair advantage. If Americans were hired they would have to pay the prevailing wage and competition would take on real meaning.
So people ask, what can we do about it? Do we send them all back to Mexico?
Well Arizona has come up with a solution that seems to be working. Maybe it is time the rest of the states look into the Arizona plan seeing as how our constitutional officers in Washington will do nothing to defend us. Arizona has passed a law that effective January 1, 2008 those employers who employ illegals will face substantial fines and the loss of their business licenses. The illegals are leaving in droves.
In Arizona, a stiff new employer sanctions law gives the state power to suspend and even revoke a business license if the employer is found to have knowingly hired an illegal immigrant.
On Friday, an Arizona federal judge refused to block the Jan. 1 start of the law. There will be a Jan. 16 hearing before that same judge on the preliminary injunction sought by the Arizona Contractors Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups.
“Differences are bound to arise where Congress has left it to the states to regulate a given area concurrently with the federal government,” Judge Neil Vincent Wake wrote in his decision.
At issue for many businesses is whether the Arizona measure will get cloned around the country.
Perhaps if we put enough pressure on our candidates this year they will finally address this growing problem. We don’t need to mass deport these illegal immigrants, if we make the laws and enforce them they will deport themselves.
For months, immigrants have taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the state’s new employer-sanctions law, which takes effect Jan. 1. The voter-approved legislation is an attempt to lessen the economic incentive for illegal immigrants in Arizona, the busiest crossing point along the U.S.-Mexico border.
And by all appearances, it’s starting to work.
“People are calling me telling me about their friend, their cousin, their neighbors — they’re moving back to Mexico,” said Magdalena Schwartz, an immigrant-rights activist and pastor at a Mesa church. “They don’t want to live in fear, in terror.”
Martin Herrera, a 40-year-old illegal immigrant and masonry worker who lives in Camp Verde, 70 miles north of Phoenix, said he is planning to return to Mexico as soon as he ties up loose ends after living here for four years.
“I don’t want to live here because of the new law and the oppressive environment,” he said. “I’ll be better in my country.”
“It’s attrition by enforcement,” State Representative Russell Pearce said. “As you make this an unfriendly state for lawbreakers, I’m hoping they will pick up and leave.”
I agree with the Representative from Arizona. I also think it is time we made our own state lawmakers look into a solution to our problem here. What do you think?
Here is a listing of American organizations that currently or in the past have supported amnesty for Illegal Aliens.
Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform (ACIR—employers)
“AICR urges your support of [AgJobs]…To meet the existing shortage of legal workers, and avoid the immediate need for a large number of guest workers, workers who can prove that they are experienced agricultural workers can earn the opportunity to obtain legal status…” More…
The Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform, made up of farming groups, paid Washington lobbyists $180,000 last year to work on the [AgJobs amnesty] issue, public records show. Sacramento Bee, Dec. 17, 2003
American Health Care Association (AHCA—business)
“Our laws, therefore, should allow willing workers to enter our country and fill jobs for which U.S. citizens cannot be found.” Charles H. Roadman II, President and CEO of AHCA, press release, Feb. 12, 2004.
American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA—business)
“[AHLA]…seeks to reform the U.S. immigration system. Its primary mission [EWIC's] is to allow employers facing shortages of semi-skilled and unskilled (“essential worker”) labor to hire workers from abroad. More…
American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA—business)
“The second and equally critical provision in [the AgJobs bill] is the ‘earned status adjustment’ program. This program is a logical and constructive approach to the reality of a largely undocumented workforce.” More…
Essential Worker Immigration Coalition (EWIC—employers)
“EWIC (co-chaired by IFA Vice President, Government Relations John Gay) has two main goals: to reform the immigration system to allow employers to bring in foreign workers when no American workers can be found and to create a mechanism for many of the millions of undocumented workers in our industries to be able to earn legal status.” More…
International Franchise Association (IFA—business)
“…businesses have found that employees they thought were authorized to work were in fact undocumented. This has caused significant disruptions for some employers as they have lost key employees or entire shifts of workers due to a government audit or raid.” (see EWIC) More…
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM—business)
“The United States should not place artificial quotas or restrictions on employers’ ability to hire or move people as needed.” Immigration Issue Brief, Jan. 2004 More…
National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR—business)
“This is a positive development for the industry. I hear all the time from my members that the biggest problem they face is not being able to find enough workers, and this would certainly be a help.” —NCCR Director of Government Relations Scott Vinson, responding to President Bush’s support for a limited amnesty for Mexicans living and working in the U.S., in Nation’s Restaurant News, August 13, 2001.
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC—employers)
Created by ANLA to work for AgJobs.
National Restaurant Association (NRA—business)
“As the nation’s largest private-sector employer and largest employer of immigrants, currently 1.4 million, we believe that our nation’s immigration policy should not only secure our borders, but also match willing employers with willing employees.” Lee Culpepper, senior vice president of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Press Release October 23, 2002
Society of American Florists (SAF—employers)
“As a member of the Society of American Florists, I strongly support [AgJobs amnesty] because it will provide a stable and legal workforce, increase border security, and treat workers fairly. More…
“This legislation (AgJobs amnesty) really needs to pass this year.” Lin Schmale, SAF senior director of Government Relations in Greenhouse Product News.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce (business)
“We need a system of ‘earned targeted adjustment’ for undocumented workers that fill vital roles in our economy, which would enable them to achieve legal status. We also need to expand permanent and temporary visas for workers to enter the United States legally to meet future workforce requirements.” Randel Johnson, Chamber vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits. Jan 7, 2004
Labor Organizations
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO—labor)
“The [SOLVE Act amnesty] bill includes reforms we in the union movement believe are absolutely necessary to address what is now an unworkable system.” AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, press conference May 4, 2004. More…
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME—labor)
“RESOLVED: That there be legalization of the undocumented workers who are working hard, paying taxes and contributing to their communities and the nation.” Resolution No: 98, 35th Int. Convention, June 2002,
Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC—Latino labor)
“We have successfully campaigned for Toledo to make the Mexican matricula consular , an official ID for the city.” More…
Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union (HERE—labor)
“UNITE and HERE have collaborated most recently in the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride…” Press release, February 26, 2004. See UNITE. HERE and UNITE to merge in July 2004 to form UNITE HERE.
Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA—labor)
“The Laborers’ International Union of North America applauds the comprehensive immigration reform bill…”, Statement of Terence M. O’Sullivan General President LIUNA On the [SOLVE Act amnesty bill]. May 5, 2004
Service Employees International Union (SEIU—labor)
“SEIU was a driving force behind the AFL-CIO’s decision to support legalization for hard-working, tax-paying immigrants. SEIU represents more immigrant workers than any other union, and has been a leading voice for immigration reform that rewards work and improves conditions for all working people.” More…
Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE!—labor)
See HERE. HERE and UNITE to merge in July 2004 to form UNITE HERE.
United Farm Workers (UFW—labor)
“United Farm Workers President Arturo Rodriguez will join other national leaders of labor, ethnic and immigrant rights groups in…urging President Bush and Republican leaders in Congress to match their rhetoric favoring Latino immigrants with action on two popular bipartisan immigration reform bills: AgJobs and the DREAM Act.” Press Release July 16, 2004
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW—labor)
“The position of the UFCW is simple and direct: we don’t care about green cards, we care about union cards. We care about union contracts that guarantee dignity at work and a decent standard of living at home—regardless of race, gender, nationality or immigration status.” International Secretary-Treasurer Joe Hansen, June 10, 2000
Ethnic Organizations
American Jewish Committee (AJC—Jewish religious)
“The AJC has reaffirmed its support for the principle of earned legalization for immigrants who have been residing in the U.S. unlawfully for a substantial period of time.” Press release, Dec. 8, 2003
Arab American Institute (AAI—Arab ethnic advocacy)
AAI President Dr. James Zogby
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA—Asian ethnic advocacy)
“Hard work should be rewarded. Immigrants, like other hard working American families, should have fair and equal access to opportunities, and be allowed to go as far as their talents will take them.” Comment by APALA executive director, Gloria T. Caoile, on “Freedom Ride” for amnesty. More…
Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC—Asian legal assistance)
Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC—religious, legal aid)
Central American Resource Center (CARECEN—Salvadoran ethnic, Los Angeles)
“[CARECEN]…educates the federal state and local public officials in addition to the community in general about the immigration needs of the Central American refugee community. The program also advocates for fair humanitarian immigration laws.” More…
Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas (CATA—migrant farmworkers—Latino ethnic)
(CATA) is the non-profit arm of the Unión de los Trabajadores Agrícolas y de Hongo (UTAH).
Farmworker Justice Fund (Latino, civil liberties)
Hispanic Alliance for Progress (HAP—Latino ethnic)
The Latino Coalition (Latino ethnic)
“[The Bush immigration proposal] is a comprehensive and effective approach to address our immigration crisis,” said TLC President Robert Deposada…The President’s proposal offers workers already in this country without proper documentation the ability to legalize their status.” Press Release, Jan. 7, 2004.
Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics (LEAP)
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC—Latino ethnic)
“LULAC supports the regularization of undocumented workers in the United States by periodically updating the Date of Registry, the reinstatement of Section 245(i) to allow immigrants to remain with their families while their applications are processed, along with the restoration of Food Stamps for legal immigrants.” Adopted by the LULAC National Assembly on June 21, 2003. More…
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF—Latino ethnic)
“MALDEF has continually advocated for an ‘earned legalization.’ Immigrants who demonstrate that they pay taxes, have a job, and pass a security test should be able to qualify for legal status.” Katherine Culliton, legislative staff attorney, press release May 4, 2004
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC—Asian ethnic)
“We look forward to working with members of congress from both parties and the Administration to enact the SOLVE Act [amnesty] into law.” Karen Narasaki, Pres. NAPALC, press release, May 4, 2004.
National Association of Latino Elected & Appointed Officials (NALEO—Latino advocacy)
National Council of La Raza (NCLR—Latino ethnic)
“…NCLR feels that this bill [(SOLVE) Act of 2004] offers the best approach to immigration reform, providing a balanced and moderate approach to immigration reform. It… makes legality the norm by bringing hardworking immigrants out of the shadows and allowing them to earn their legal status, and by creating the necessary legal channels for needed workers to enter the U.S. in the future.” Raul Yzaguirre, NCLR President and CEO, press release May 4, 2004
National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NFFAA—Filipino ethnic)
National Korean American Service & Educational Consortium (NKASEC—Korean ethnic)
Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA—Chinese ethnic)
“In February, OCA passed a resolution in support of comprehensive immigration reform that included significantly reducing the backlog of family-based immigration, creating a path for legalization of undocumented immigrants, and creating additional programs for individuals to enter legally into the United States to work temporarily or permanently.” Press Release, May 20, 2004
Religious Organizations
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC—Quaker religious)
“[AFSC's] Project Voice combines local and national organizing, education, and outreach campaigns to achieve a strategic impact on key immigration and refugee issues, including legalization…. More…
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS—Lutheran religious)
“We look forward to working with Congress and the White House to craft an immigration system that unites families, ensures worker rights and human rights, allows immigrant workers to live freely and openly in our society, and gives those willing to contribute to our economy and society a true path toward citizenship in the United States.” Statement by LIRS President Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr. on the SOLVE amnesty bill, press release May 4, 2004.
National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (NICWJ)
“The struggle for acceptance and justice endured by past immigrants continues today with some 8.5 million immigrants deprived of the right to apply for citizenship. Often separated from their families and victimized by unscrupulous employers, America’s newest class of immigrants is suffering.” Kim Bobo, NICWJ executive director, press release August 27, 2003.
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB—Catholic religious)
“We urge our federal policymakers to revise our nation’s immigration laws and policies in a manner which includes the following elements: legalization for the maximum number of persons in an undocumented or irregular legal status;…enforcement policies;…revision of the 1996 immigration laws;… repeal of mandatory detention of immigrants;…and a religious worker visa program which is permanently authorized…” (Resolution, November 16, 2000)
Civil Liberties and Other Organizations
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA—immigrant advocacy)
“Why we need [SOLVE Act amnesty]: Legalizing undocumented workers is good for America.” Posted on AILA InfoNet at Doc. No. 04050467 (May 4, 2004).”
Center for Migration, Ethnicity and Citizenship at New School University
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA )
“CHIRLA works with day laborers to create safe and organized environments for seeking work…. Its goal is to gain a broad legalization program for the six million undocumented workers and their families residing in USA.” More…
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR—immigrant services)
“Legalization will unleash the economic potential of Illinois’ immigrant communities….” ICIRR Executive Director, Joshua Hoyt, Crains Chicago Business, May 10, 2004
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR)
Migration Policy Institute/NYU Law School Muzaffar Chishti, Director
National Employment Law Project (NELP—labor, civil liberties)
“NELP’s newly-expanded guide provides step- by-step directions for drafting state and local day labor legislation…” “[Agenda] should include legalization for workers currently present in the U.S., wage and labor protections for new and established workers, family reunification provisions, as well as a path to citizenship for immigrants here and those to be admitted.” More…
National Immigration Forum (NIF—open borders)
“Immigration reform would address a range of workforce realities—legalizing a workforce that is here to stay anyway, providing more legal visas for workers to come in the future, and providing for the temporary employment of foreign workers who help American employers in sectors of the economy that provide seasonal jobs.” More…
National Immigration Law Center (NILC—defense of illegal aliens)
“…NILC facilitates the development of a shared national policy agenda and strengthens the advocacy presence of immigrant rights organizations at the federal level.” More…
National Network on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR—refugees, civil liberties)
“We need a comprehensive program that allows undocumented immigrants from all nationalities and living in the U.S. to obtain legal permanent residency.” More…
Services, Immigrant Rights Network, and Education (SIREN)
San Jose CA immigrant rights activists.