Connecticut’s Immigration Duel

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• Reader Comments (15)

  Page 1 of 1 pages

  The immigration system in this country is indeed broken.  However, we always need to remember that these are people that we are talking about.  They are human and all deserve the respect that all are entitled to.  I know that some people have some valid issues with the security at the borders.  I am concerned, too.  There has to be a way to secure the borders and to let the people that are good citizens to stay.  Both Republicans and democrats alike have benefited from the work of immigrants.  This country would be nothing without immigrants.

      Compassion should always rule the day.  We have to find a way to fix this problem that is fair and not xenophobic.  I hope that we can solve this and be just and humane about it.

  Posted by anthony.phillips29 on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:35 PM

  After careful review, anyone with a even a modicum of logic can come to no other conclusion: illegal immigration must be halted, illegal immigrants here now must be deported and legal immigration needs decreased from the approx. 2 million allowed in per year currently.

  Please review the following report on the FISCAL COST OF IMMIGRATION by economist Edwin Rubenstein just released this past week:
  http://www.esrresearch.com/Rubensteinreport.pdf

  A partial summary of the report:
  The impact on 15 Federal Departments surveyed was: $346 billion in fiscal related costs in FY 2007.

  Each immigrant cost taxpayers more than $9,000 per year.

  An immigrant household (2 adults, 2 children) cost taxpayers $36,000 per year.

  Legal immigrants were not separated out from illegal immigrants for the fiscal impact study, but if they had been, the fiscal cost per ILLEGAL immigrant would be even more shocking than the figures quoted above.

  The most extensive and authoritative study, prior to economist Edwin Rubenstein’s “The Fiscal Impact of Immigration” (April 2008) , is the National Research Council (NRC)’s The New Americans: Economic, Demographic and Fiscal Effects of Immigration (1997).

  The NRC staff analyzed federal, state, and local government expenditures on programs such as Medicaid, AFDC (now TANF), and SSI, as well as the cost of educating immigrants’ foreign- and native-born children.

  NRC found that the average immigrant household receives $13,326 in federal annual expenditures and pays $10,664 in federal taxes—that is, they generate a fiscal deficit of $2,682 (1996 dollars)per household.

  In 2007 dollars this is a deficit of $3,408 per immigrant household.

  With 9 million households currently headed by immigrants, more than $30 billion ($3,408 x 9 million) of the federal deficit represents money transferred from native taxpayers to immigrants.

  Our national immigration policies have to work for the United States.  While improving the plight of the world’s poor is a laudable goal, the finite resources we have available to fulfill that goal would be swamped if there wasn’t some orderly and manageable system in place to limit entry into the United States to what this nation can actually support.  The more illegal aliens that are permitted to subvert the immigration system, the fewer immigrants we can accommodate who might actually produce a positive benefit for our country.

  The more we become a nation of illegal immigrants, the deeper we fall into anarchy.

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:55 PM

  Have you heard the saying, when California sneezes, the rest of the country catches the flu? Generally what starts in California eventually spreads to the rest of the country. That is, unless a state takes measures to resist it. Unless every state realistically tackles illegal immigration by instituting Comprehensive Immigration ENFORCEMENT, which California has refused to do, this is what you can expect:

  As of 2006, California contained greater than 25% of the total illegal alien population within the U.S. Many of these illegals concentrate in Los Angeles. New statistics from the Department of Public Social Services reveal that illegal aliens and their families in Los Angeles County collected over $37 million in welfare and food stamp allocations in November 2007 – up $3 million dollars from September. Twenty five percent of the all welfare and food stamps benefits are going directly to the children of illegal aliens. Illegals collected over $20 million in welfare assistance for November 2007 and over $16 million in monthly food stamp allocations for a projected annual cost of $444 million. “This new information shows an alarming increase in the devastating impact Illegal immigration continues to have on Los Angeles County taxpayers,” said Antonovich, LA County Supervisor. “With $220 million for public safety, $400 million for healthcare, and $444 million in welfare allocations, the total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers far exceeds $1 billion a year – not including the millions of dollars for education.”

  Just keep in mind that the $37 million a month is for only one county in one state and is only welfare and foodstamp benefits. It doesn’t include hospital care, education, fraud, wage depression, crime, depreciation of housing values, the portion of bad loans given to illegal aliens by banks, insurance costs and the myriad of other burdensome expenses that illegal aliens put on the backs of American citizens. There are 29 sanctuary cities in California and because of that there should be little wonder why so many illegal aliens stay in this state. They basically operate with impunity and even if they get arrested for a serious crime there is little chance of them being deported. They can sign up for welfare and food stamps with no questions asked and the hospitals provide them with free care as long as there are still emergency rooms that can’t turn them away for lack of funds. All things considered, California has rolled out the welcome mat for them.

  Is there any wonder that California is right now in a fiscal crisis emergency with a budget deficit greater than $14 billion and growing? Reliable estimates calculate illegal aliens cost the state $10.5 billion each year! So what’s Schwarzenegger’s solution? A 10 percent across-the-board reduction in state agency funding,, transferring $2 billion in spending to the next fiscal year and increasing taxes. Why not cut all public services to those not in the U.S. legally? Just a simple thought on my part that would go a long way to putting California back on its feet.

  A bell should be ringing in you head about right now that tells you this is what is coming throughout America if you refuse to act locally and demand that your political leaders act against illegal immigration.

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:56 PM

  The Congressional Budget Office in December 2007 (CBO: The Impact of Unauthorized Immigrants on the Budgets of State and Local Governments) stated the tax revenues that unauthorized immigrants generate for state and local governments do not offset the total cost of services provided to those immigrants. Illegal immigrants are a NET COST LOSS and a burden to the budgets of all states. This cost is largely borne by the states and citizen taxpayers. Federal payments allocated by Washington fall far short in reimbursing state and local government expenditures.

  The annual cost for uncompensated emergency care to Mexican Border States (California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas) is $200 million. California taxpayers paid $79 million for illegal alien health care. Texas paid $74 million. –Tom DeWeese, President of American Policy Center.
  The Congressional Budget Office in December 2007 (CBO: The Impact of Unauthorized Immigrants on the Budgets of State and Local Governments) stated the tax revenues that unauthorized immigrants generate for state and local governments do not offset the total cost of services provided to those immigrants. Illegal immigrants are a NET COST LOSS and a burden to the budgets of all states. This cost is largely borne by the states and citizen taxpayers. Federal payments allocated by Washington fall far short in reimbursing state and local government expenditures.

  The annual cost for uncompensated emergency care to Mexican Border States (California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas) is $200 million. California taxpayers paid $79 million for illegal alien health care. Texas paid $74 million. –Tom DeWeese, President of American Policy Center.

  The average annual cost per child for education is $7,161, totaling $109 billion to educate illegal aliens annually. The average cost of bilingual education is $1,200 per illegal student. U.S. schools annually educate 1.1 million illegal children. -Tom DeWeese, President of American Policy Center.

  A major cost factor in the conduct of school operations relates to the vast number of children of illegal immigrants in our classroom and the special-training dictates for many of those students being taught in their native language — some 82 languages in San Diego County, 112 languages in Los Angeles County.  – North County Times, March 2008. In New York City alone, more than 200 languages are spoken in the public schools. –NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

  $108.2 million is spent each year by U.S. border counties in the four state region to pay for law enforcement, criminal justice and emergency healthcare services to illegal immigrants, states a February 2008 report from the United States/Mexico Border Counties Coalition (USMBCC). Current federal reimbursement returns only 11.5 cents on the dollar to counties for handling criminal illegal immigrant services.

  From 1999 through 2006, the 24 counties along the U.S.-Mexico border spent a cumulative $1.23 billion on services to process criminal undocumented immigrants through the law enforcement and criminal justice system. In fiscal year 2006 alone, the cost was $192 million. Yet, the federal government has only reimbursed these 24 counties $4.7 million for detaining criminal undocumented immigrants for fiscal year 2006 (and $54.8 million since 1999). These are staggering costs considering the rural nature and poverty level of most of these border counties. The costs to process undocumented immigrants come at the expense of basic, vital services to county residents. (Undocumented Immigrants in U.S. Border Counties: The Costs of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Services; U.S.-Mexico Border Counties Coalition February 2008)

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:58 PM

  The average illegal immigrant family uses $2,700/year more in services than it pays in taxes. In 2002, this amounted to a $10.4 billion drain on the federal budget. Some of the greatest federal costs included: Medicaid ($2.5 billion); treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 billion); food assistance programs ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.4 billion). According to the CIS report, since most of the illegal aliens currently in the workforce do not have a high school diploma, they only qualify for low paying jobs. That translates into low federal tax payments. Should illegal aliens ever receive an amnesty, it is estimated that net deficit costs would triple to $7,700 per household due to eligibility to all federal, state and local services. http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalrelease.html

  Furthermore; nationwide, 40% of households headed by an illegal alien receive welfare benefits and 56% have no health insurance. Standard & Poor’s reports that education of illegal alien children costs the states and federal government $11 billion dollars per year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hduG9Dw0oYg

  Heritage Foundation research shows in FY 2004, at the state and local level, the average low skill immigrant household received $14,145 in benefits and services and paid only $5,309 in taxes (those that actually paid taxes). The average low skill immigrant households imposed a net fiscal burden on state and local government of $8,836 per year. That is approximately $9000 for EACH immigrant household of which at least 50% are illegal aliens.

  In California, each illegal immigrant will take $50,000 in services from the state beyond what he will contribute in taxes during his lifetime. -The Immigration Solution; Manhattan Institute, 2007

  Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation calculates that each immigrant who is a high school dropout, as most Mexican immigrants are, will end up costing taxpayers $85,000 over his lifetime.

  A report in April 2008 by economist Edwin Rubenstein titled the FISCAL COST OF IMMIGRATION, indicated:
  - The impact on 15 Federal Departments surveyed was: $346 billion in fiscal related costs in FY 2007.
  - Each immigrant cost taxpayers more than $9,000 per year.
  - An immigrant household, consisting of two adults and two children, cost taxpayers $36,000 per year.
  Legal immigrants were not separated out from illegal immigrants for the fiscal impact study, but if they had been, the fiscal cost per ILLEGAL immigrant would be even more shocking than the figures quoted above.

  Taxpayers in our country pay more than $100 billion every year on health care and other services for illegal immigrants, including education, law enforcement costs, and housing. – Congressman Dean Heller-Jan. 2008 http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20080127/OPINION/729401847

  A Harvard University study released in January 2008 found that illegal aliens depressed wages in Arizona by $1.4 billion dollars. Hardest hit were low skilled legal workers whose wages fell by 5%. Wage suppression of American workers is a consistent effect throughout the country due to the employment of illegal aliens. http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0109biz-illlegalscost0110-ON.html

  40% of the decline in employment of black men is due to immigration.  Foreign workers are taking American’s jobs and depressing wages. And while Americans from all backgrounds are being harmed, lower to middle income African American workers are being disproportionately affected. –Dr. Frank Morris, former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; February 2008.

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 1:59 PM

  The World Bank reports (Worldwide Remittance Flow to Developing Nations Report) for 2006, $68.1 billion dollars were sent by migrant workers (more than 50% illegal aliens) mostly from the U.S. to Latin America. Mexico received 24.4 billion, South America 24.4 billion, Central America 11 billion and the Caribbean 8.4 billion. This is a direct transfer of a huge portion of our economy to the third world; largely by a group of people (illegal aliens) who are not even authorized to work in our country much less have an established presence here.

  The U.S. government estimates that since 2003, Mexican drug trafficking organizations have repatriated $22 billion to Mexico from the U.S., which is 20% of all money sent to Mexico from it’s citizens residing, legally and illegally here during this interval. Drug money remittances have accelerated since 2002 when the U.S. government allowed banks to accept the Mexican Matricula Consular ID card. This has enabled these crime groups to engage in money laundering. (U.S. State Department report; March 2008)

  Questions you should be asking include “Why is even $1 of taxpayer money being consumed providing services and paying for the huge cost burden of illegal aliens in every state of America? Why are we allowing business and corporations to import cheap foreign labor (both legal and illegal) to drive down wages and put Americans out of work? Why are we importing a foreign workforce that transfers a significant amount of money from our economy to foreign nations?”

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:00 PM

  Illegal aliens come to America and expect us to turn our country - its laws, its culture, its system of citizen benefits - on its ear to benefit them. Then they accuse us of being racist, bigoted, and hateful xenophobes for requiring them to follow the law that countless LEGAL immigrants took the time to follow. They refuse to acknowledge how their actions can rightfully be interpreted as insulting. They’re essentially saying, “We don’t give a damn about you, your laws, your country or your culture…gimme, gimme, gimme.”

  I’m quite sure that anyone who opposes illegal immigration would have no problem with immigrants of any stripe coming here legally, according to our laws, to make a better life for themselves. But by countless millions invading our country and overwhelming our schools and social systems, criminal justice system, hospitals, degrading our economy, taxing our already fragile infrastructure, crowding our cities and elbowing their way into jobs that are required by law to be given to citizens and legal workers; its just a bit of a problem to those of us who demand that our immigration laws be followed. It’s not racist or bigoted to demand that anyone who wants citizenship show their dedication to their new country by following its laws pertaining to immigration. Breaking those laws as your first action in your “new country” does not sit well with the vast majority of American citizens nor will they ever accept it

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:04 PM

  It is not hate to be offended when someone breaks into your home. It is not hate to be concerned when those coming into your country not only spurn assimilation, but mock and ridicule your values and systems. It is not hate when we identify the root cause of the burden placed on the social infrastructure resulting in increases on the taxes of American citizens, closing of hospitals, crowding citizens out of a decent public schools education and the filling of our jails with criminals. It is not hate to protest the actions of illegals when they cause death and lifelong trauma to the citizens of this country. And it is not hate to care enough about one’s country to take a stand against a situation that is hellbent on tearing it apart.

  It is not hate. It is not racism. It is not bigotry. It is not xenophobia. It is a desire for JUSTICE. It is the exercise of one’s right to protect their homes, their culture, their society and their country. It is recognition of the rule of law.

  Those concepts may be foreign in countries like Mexico, but they are basic tenants of life in the US. That’s why we are not a third world (yet) country and Mexico is. Mexico so abhor’s illegal immigration into its own country that it has legislated draconian measures to discriminate against immigrants through laws and practices. Want to run a business in Mexico? You are required to employ Mexican citizens as managers. Want to own property in Mexico? You can’t do it as a foreigner unless you put the deed in trust with a Mexican trustee. And even if you become a Mexican citizen, you will never be able to hold elected office because you are not a citizen by birth. Sounds more than a little like life under Islamic rule than life under a democracy.

  Yes, there is hate associated with the issue of illegal immigration. But the hate is not generated by US citizens - the hate is borne by citizens of countries like Mexico. Hate is borne by Hispanic supremacy groups like La Raza “The Race”, MEChA, LULAC, MALDEF, CHIRLA, La Voz de Atzlan, Zapatista Army of National Liberation and Mexicanos Sin Fronteras (Mexicans Without Borders) that believe they are superior to the hodgepodge of other races that have melted together successfully in the US.

  Their hate and racism should be kept south of our border. When, and only when, they are forced to abide by our laws and enter America by LEGAL means ONLY then will they ever be worthy of residing here and be considered for citizenship

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:05 PM

  There is ONLY one standard that applies to immigration. That is the LAW.

  It’s not what they (illegal immigrants and their advocates) want.
  It has nothing to do with someone’s perceived concept is of what’s moral.
  It has nothing to do with considering the perceived impact on families.
  It has nothing to do with considering the needs of the illegals.
  It has nothing to do with taking into account their motivations for illegally entering.
  It has nothing to do with any claims the illegals advocates may make; such as: they do the jobs American won’t (absolutely wrong), they benefit our economy (they absolutely don’t), they aren’t a drain on our social services, infrastructure and education systems (wrong again)

  The only standard that applies to immigration is the LAW

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:07 PM

  Immigration is a federal issue. Wait for them to fix it. That’s a good plan! Just tell the states to do nothing! Then you can share all of the illegals that are leaving Arizona, Oklahoma and Georgia. The enablers can learn about drop houses, home invasion robberies, 8 hour waits in the ER and property taxes skyrocketing to provide services to illegal aliens who have no intention of abiding by the law or learning English.  You too can have your trade wages locked in at 1985 rates.  Face the fact, there are NO after school, summer, or entry level jobs for your teens because the illegals have taken them as careers for $8.00 per hour because they will live 20 to a 3 bedroom house and sponge off the liberal welfare and public benefits system that was designed for citizens in need. Be prepared for the illegals leaving states conducting immigration enforcement to find their way to your state so they can conduct their scams. Good luck with that “nothing will really work” attitude. If you wait for the feds, you’ll all be overrun, taxed to death, poor and a number of you dead.

  Congressman Joe Baca (D-CA) and the Hispanic Caucus are already trying to pass a bill right now in the U.S. House to give out “5 Year Amnesty Visas” to all of the illegals here (and I’m sure there is a loophole in it somewhere that includes dozens of their closest relatives). The pro-illegal politicians who won’t enforce the federal laws are doing this to stop states from enacting their own enforcement laws. Oh, they aren’t telling you about that? What a suprise! Let me guess, they aren’t telling you that they stripped the $1.4 Billion dollar funding from the Secure Fence Act of 2006 and Bush made a back room deal to GIVE the 1.4 BILLION DOLLARS as “foreign aid” to Mexico with NO conditions? Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) slipped in an amendment to the omnibus spending bill in Dec. 2007 that gave DHS Secretary Chertoff the power NOT TO BUILD any part of the fence anywhere he didn’t want to in case funding was ever restored. So we go from a law passed by Congress in 2006 which mandated a double layer 700-mile fence, to no double layer fence to no fence at all anywhere the DHS secretary declares.

  And we still have people saying immigration is a federal issue and we must wait for the feds to act? The only thing the feds will ever do is to try another massive amnesty plan to legalize all the illegals to get them off the hook for creating the massive problems we face from 20 million plus illegal aliens. Aren’t you tired of being deceived and lied to, America? Aren’t you tired of politicians crafting legislation that puts the welfare of illegal aliens ahead of citizens and legal residents of America?

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 23, 2008 at 2:09 PM

  “A third panelist, Tamar Jacoby of the conservative Manhattan Institute, said that the immigration system is “completely broken.” She said the approaches of both cities had merit, and emphasized that America must increase legal immigration to get “the busboys and gardeners” that a prosperous economy requires.”

  I had to read this three times. I still can’t believe it.

  And it left me with one question. Tamar Jacoby, which Connecticut tribe are you from, the Peqot or Nipmuc?

  Posted by opeluboy on Apr 24, 2008 at 12:31 AM

  I feel that people making these comments fail to realize that we are all immigrants in this country.  Some of the land we took illegally and immorally.  Not one of the people who advocated throwing the illegals out showed one ounce of inteeligence or humanity.  Sadly, I am not a bit suprised.  We were put here by our creator to live a life of service.  Seems like the only serve that we care about is serving ourselves.

  Posted by anthony.phillips29 on Apr 24, 2008 at 3:40 AM

  sorry about my spelling I was a bit miffed!!!!

  Posted by anthony.phillips29 on Apr 24, 2008 at 1:51 PM

  “America’s leaders need to wake up. It’s a fact foreign workers are taking jobs and depressing wages of Americans from all backgrounds. However, Black workers are being disproportionately affected. Studies prove 40% of the decline in Black employment is due to immigration. And the effects will become even more pronounced for our most vulnerable workers as the economy gets worse. It’s time for America’s leaders, especially our Black leaders, to put the most vulnerable American workers’ interests ahead of foreign workers’ and the cheap labor businesses that hire them.” 

  - Dr. Frank Morris, former Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Executive Director
  http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-624183.html#624183

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:41 PM

  First, let us remember the “illegal” part of being an illegal immigrant. Most Americans don’t seem to have problems with legal immigration, however it only seems fair to question the value of any additions to our country who already show no regard for it’s laws upon arrival.

  Second, it seems far too easily forgotten that one must be an U.S. citizen in order to warrant the rights afforded to a citizen. That should be the end of discussion.

  Third, legal immigrants working alongside native born citizens have made this country what it is. We have thrived on the contributions of immigrants and will usually need them, though to varying degrees, throughout most sectors of our economy. The problem is that we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to those who enter illegally, ignore our laws and seek to subvert our culture and national values.

  We welcome those who follow the rules, learn the English language, and respect our sovereignty. As illegal immigrants, it is not only offensive but also ridiculous to ask for rights, which they have not earned nor are entitled to.

  Let’s secure our borders by building the fence so we have an effective and controlled immigration system at the same time as we enforce our currently existing immigration laws. During this interval we encourage illegals to depart (attrition through enforcement). Once our borders are secured and we have a grip on a functional system of immigration, we move against those illegals that have refused to leave. We should never ever grant amnesty.

  We tried ‘comprehensive immigration reform’ in 1986. We gave amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens in exchange for the government promising to secure the borders, conduct workplace enforcement and enforce immigration law. It didn’t work because the government lied and did nothing other than process the amnesty paperwork. Due to that folly, we now have 20 Million or more illegal aliens here demanding amnesty. Don’t you think it is far beyond time that we engage in Comprehensive Immigration ENFORCEMENT rather than Comprehensive Immigration Reform?

  Posted by zeezil on Apr 24, 2008 at 2:46 PM

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