Originally Posted By Darkbeer We were talking about this in another thread (off topic), so here is a news story from today... <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-11-10-uninsured_x.htm" target="_blank">http://www.usatoday.com/news/h ealth/2005-11-10-uninsured_x.htm</a> >> The increase in the number of people without health insurance has occurred largely because of illegal immigration, a study found. Researchers at the RAND Corporation, a non-partisan think tank, analyzed data received from about 2,400 people in Los Angeles County in 2000 and 2001, and applied that information to the nation's undocumented population at large. The number of uninsured adults in the United States grew by about 8.7 million between 1980 and 2000. If the trend for Los Angeles County held true for the rest of the country, about a third of that growth can be attributable to illegal immigrants. The study does not diminish the severity of the problem of the uninsured. Nor does it call for some sort of health insurance coverage for illegals. "That's where I don't go," said James Smith, a senior economist at RAND. "That's not a scientific question." Rather, the study shows that any meaningful impact on reducing the number of uninsured has to take into account the issue of illegal immigration, he said. "There are pros and cons of providing insurance to the undocumented that should be debated openly," he said. "Undocumented immigrants make up too much of the issue to be ignored or hidden by polite silence." The study also indicates that, since the number of illegal immigrants is growing rapidly, "we can expect that the uninsured population is going to grow rapidly as well," said another study co-author, Neeraj Sood. The researchers said about one in five illegal immigrant adults have some health insurance coverage through their work, but virtually none of them purchase it on their own. Also, they rarely make use of public insurance through programs such as Medicaid. The study was published in the journal Health Affairs. <<
Originally Posted By fkurucz This is hardly a suprise. Most illegals are paid off the books, so it is unlikely that their employers would provide then with insurance. And why should they? Let the taxpayers and the insured pick up the tab!
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Time for some serious changes... First, we need to give employers the tools to do some verification on the ID's presented to them by the people who have been hired by them. We can easily verify credit cards, it should be just as easy to verify ID's and Social Security numbers. Then, after giving employers the right tools, prosecute them if they hire folks without proper ID. And not just a slap on the wrist. If certain jobs are having problems finding workers, such as farm workers, then bring over workers on special temporary permits, which allow them to come for a certain length of time (while the rest of the family stays home, not adding to the school districts and other problems). They can return multiple times if they follow the basic rules (such as returning to their home country on time). Also, maybe give them some sort of "bonus points" in getting a permanent visa, but those visas are the same ones any person can get. The main requirement, that they apply for it in their home country, and have not been found to previously break the law (including American immigration laws). We should not reward folks that have broke the law. Also, more prosecution of day laborers, especially for those who hire them. There are laws on the books for paying household employees, and individuals need to be held to the same rules, including payroll taxes.
Originally Posted By cmpaley Once again, it's time to speak some truth to power about immigration (legal/illegal). The Republican Party will do NOTHING about immigration, just like it will do NOTHING about abortion. It's too juicy of an issue to foment rage and anger so as to gain votes. Of course, that's ALL it's good for. Republican corporate and small-business donors make BANK exploiting cheap labor and THE PARTY doesn't want to lose that major cash source. On the other hand they TALK about it because it gets votes. It's the same with the abortion issue. The religious right puts millions into Republican campaigns. The Party has an anti-abortion platform, but they'll never really do anything that stops it. It's too lucrative and it gains oodles of votes.
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Press Release HUNTER ANNOUNCES INTRODUCTION OF TRUE ENFORCEMENT AND BORDER SECURITY ACT Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) was joined by Congressman Virgil Goode (R-VA) to announce the introduction of the TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act. This legislation, which will serve as Congress’ most comprehensive enforcement package to date, requires the construction of a land barrier and necessary infrastructure along America’s international border with Mexico and addresses many of the current inadequacies in the enforcement of our illegal immigration laws. “The enforcement of our nation’s borders and immigration laws remain one of our greatest domestic priorities,†said Congressman Hunter. “While considerable progress has been made over the last year in the fight against illegal immigration, Congress needs to continue its efforts to secure our border and ensure our legal immigration channels are not utilized by those who seek to illegally enter, reside, and work in the United States. This legislation represents a compilation of several enforcement proposals currently offered in both houses of Congress and implements appropriate and necessary solutions to many of our nation’s immigration problems. “We need to begin discussing this issue with the intent of reforming what I consider to be one of America’s greatest vulnerabilities. September 11th exposed this vulnerability and demonstrated very clearly that complacency and inaction is just as dangerous as terrorist activity. “Prior to September 11, 2001, illegal immigration was considered a regional issue without national implications. We quickly learned on that day, however, that this is a national issue, affecting each and every American, not just those living in border communities like San Diego County. “Unfortunately, illegal aliens continue to funnel directly into many of our local communities and adversely impact our way of life by overwhelming our schools, inundating our healthcare system and, most concerning, threatening our safety. Through better enforcement of our immigration laws and construction of the necessary border infrastructure, we can reverse the trends induced by illegal immigration, while also promoting a homeland that is safer and more secure.†Specifically, the TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act would: Create a border security fence from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico with 25 additional ports of entry. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will incorporate fencing, infrastructure and technology to prevent illegal crossings; Empower states and local authorities to enforce immigration laws; Require DHS to fully implement a computerized entry-exit system; Authorize thousands of new Border Patrol officers, immigration investigators, attorneys, and immigration judges; Increase penalties and prevent employers from hiring illegal aliens through an improved Social Security identification card and verification system; Prevent illegal aliens from claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and collecting Social Security; Increase penalties for forging immigration and identity documents, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, and alien smuggling. Upon its formal introduction, the TRUE Enforcement and Border Security Act is expected to be referred to the House Judiciary Committee, House Committee on Homeland Security, the Committee on Resource, and the House Ways and Means Committee. Here is a link to a summary... <a href="http://www.house.gov/hunter/highlights.true.act" target="_blank">http://www.house.gov/hunter/hi ghlights.true.act</a>
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Heck, they said the same thing about the REAL ID act, that was taken out of a bill, but was brought back and passed a year later.... The illegal alien problem is getting bigger and bigger, and spreading across the country. <a href="http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?page=article&id=1835" target="_blank">http://www.thetrumpet.com/inde x.php?page=article&id=1835</a> >>But economic tragedy struck. The stock market crash of 1929 gutted the American economy and thrust the nation into unprecedented hardship. It was in the midst of this economic depression that American politicians laid the foundation for a welfare state. From this time forward, the American government became the crutch on which needy citizens could lean. Concurrent with the rising popularity of the federal welfare programs was the burgeoning of immigration. Immigrants began streaming into America, where many of the poorest and least educated were no longer required to subscribe to the traditional American work ethic and instead could rely on the federal government to take care of them. Similar problems occurred in Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. This trend continues today, and the economic impact of immigrants on the federal government is phenomenal. Immigration analyst Norman Matloff stated, “The reason for this increased reliance on welfare is that for many immigrant groups, welfare in recent years has lost its stigma and has instead become a magnet, drawing them to the United States. As one Chinese senior in Oakland puts it, a common point of view is mh hou sit dai, Cantonese for ‘Don’t miss this great opportunity’†(Sacramento Bee, Dec. 14, 1994). Matloff cited census data showing that, for example, 55 percent of the Chinese seniors who immigrated to California from 1980 to 1987 were on welfare by 1990. In the era of Big Government, burdening the middle class and the rich with heavy taxes and giving handouts to an increasing number of poor dependents is heightening the ethnic strife and racial stereotypes. In this respect, even legal immigrants are placing an increasing burden on the U.S. economy. When we factor in the economic cost of illegal immigrants, the picture grows increasingly dire. Illegal and legal immigration is costing America billions. The Center for Immigration Studies (cis) estimated the total impact of illegal immigration on the federal budget: “[W]hen all taxes paid (direct and indirect) and all costs are considered, illegal households created a net fiscal deficit at the federal level of more than $10 billion in 2002. We also estimate that, if there was an amnesty for illegal aliens, the net fiscal deficit would grow to nearly $29 billion†(“The High Cost of Cheap Labor,†August 2004). No state has been more impacted financially by both illegal and legal immigration than California. “Analysis of the latest census data indicates that California’s illegal immigrant population is costing the state’s taxpayers more than $10.5 billion per year for education, medical care and incarceration. Even if the estimated tax contributions of illegal immigrant workers are subtracted, net outlays still amount to nearly $9 billion per year. The annual fiscal burden from those three areas of state expenditures amounts to about $1,183 per household headed by a native-born resident†(Federation for American Immigration Reform, “The Costs of Illegal Immigration to Californians,†November 2004).<<
Originally Posted By Darkbeer More from the link above... >>Crime Heather Mac Donald, in an article titled “The Illegal Alien Crime Wave,†wrote, “Some of the most violent criminals at large today are illegal aliens. Yet in cities where the crime committed by aliens is highest, the police cannot use the most obvious tool to apprehend them: their immigration status†(City Journal, Winter 2004; emphasis ours throughout). Mac Donald highlighted Los Angeles as an example: The city is home to numerous gangs, many of which are comprised of illegal immigrants from around the world—particularly Asia, Latin America and South America. Alone and often without money or a place to live, illegal immigrants in big cities are prone to joining gangs in order to acquire food and shelter. Feeling secure among people of his own race or status (illegal), the new immigrant oftentimes embraces the gang as a surrogate family, and crime becomes his new occupation. Mac Donald highlighted the following examples: In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens. A California Department of Justice study reported in 1995 that 60 percent of the 20,000-strong 18th Street Gang in Southern California was illegal; police officers said the proportion was actually much greater. The bloody gang collaborated with the Mexican Mafia—the dominant force in California prisons—on complex drug-distribution schemes, extortion and drive-by assassinations, and committed an assault or robbery every day in L.A. County. The gang had grown dramatically over the previous two decades by recruiting recently arrived youngsters, most of them illegal, from Central America and Mexico. The leadership of the Columbia Lil’ Cycos gang, which uses murder and racketeering to control the drug market around L.A.’s MacArthur Park, was about 60 percent illegal in 2002. A Mexican Mafia member and an illegal alien controlled the gang from prison while serving time for felonious reentry following deportation. Referring to another L.A. gang, Mac Donald stated, “[D]ozens of members of a ruthless Salvadoran prison gang have [sneaked] back into town after having been deported for such crimes as murder, assault with a deadly weapon and drug trafficking. Police officers know who they are and know that their mere presence in the country is a felony. Yet should a cop arrest an illegal for felonious reentry, it is he who will be treated as a criminal for violating the lapd’s [Los Angeles Police Department’s] rule against enforcing immigration law. “The lapd’s ban on immigration enforcement mirrors bans in immigrant-saturated cities around the country, from New York and Chicago to San Diego, Austin and Houston. These ‘sanctuary policies’ generally prohibit city employees, including the cops, from reporting immigration violations to federal authorities.†Making matters worse than the fact that illegal immigration contributes to high crime rates in many of America’s larger cities is the reality that many of the illegal immigrants committing the crimes are protected by misguided policies set up by city and state governments. “[Sanctuary] laws testify to the sheer political power of immigrant lobbies, a power so irresistible that police officials shrink from even mentioning the illegal alien crime wave. ‘We can’t even talk about it,’ says a frustrated lapd captain. ‘People are afraid of a backlash from Hispanics.’ Another lapd commander in a predominantly Hispanic, gang-infested district sighs: ‘I would get a firestorm of criticism if I talked about [enforcing the immigration law against illegals].’ Neither captain would speak for attribution†(ibid.).<<
Originally Posted By Darkbeer Some folks are trying to increase enforcement of the law... <a href="http://www.calborderpolice.com/about/" target="_blank">http://www.calborderpolice.com /about/</a> >>The Cal Border Police is an Initiative that would establish a State Police Force whose sole mission is the comprehensive enforcement of federal immigration law and whose purpose is the reduction of illegal immigration into California, diminishing the threat of terrorism and improving our economy. In 1996, Congressman Chris Cox inserted Section 287(g) into the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996 allowing states and local governments to enforce federal immigration law. The Cal Border Police derives its authority from this statute. The Cal Border Police would put between 2,000 and 3,000 trained officers on the border and throughout the state. Costing between $200-$300 Million in the first year it is established, the Cal Border Police will save California’s taxpayers between $2-$5 Billion annually. The trained Border Police officers will utilize all of the tools available to law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws wherever the violations occur. <<
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <The Republican Party will do NOTHING about immigration, just like it will do NOTHING about abortion.> Then why doesn't the Democrat party do something about it?
Originally Posted By cmpaley DB, you're being agitpropped by the right-wing. Posting more about how horrible those evil brown people are isn't going to fix the problem. The problem goes far deeper than a fence. The fact that there is a great economic disparity between the US and Mexico is a much greater contributing factor in why people come up here. Now, the rabid right enforcement side says build a wall and shoot them all as they try to come here. The economic rabid right says send more good paying US jobs down there so we can pay them dirt wages. The far left says open borders. I say that there must be a solution that helps Mexico to realize its true economic potentiontial in a way that helps ALL its citizens and relieves the pressure that forces people up here to find opportunity. Of course, considering Mexico, except for a couple of industries, is largely an unregulated economy, the rabid-right that is in control right now is incapable of solutions. Their solution is Mexico RIGHT NOW (little to no government regulation and really low taxes on business). They want to do that same to the USA! Imagine that. I have no problem sharing the good things that the US has to offer (and that's not always money). I am of the opinion that the first non-PRI President since the Revolución was elected a few years ago is a testament to the fact access to the US and our democratic principles is having a positive effect down there. BUT... If the "enforcement ONLY" approach were taken and all those evil, nasty, grody brown peoople were removed and the problems "they" cause still exist...who will we blame then? Do we go back to blaming black people? Who's going to be the next scapegoat?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <<The Republican Party will do NOTHING about immigration, just like it will do NOTHING about abortion.>> <Then why doesn't the Democrat party do something about it?> They get contributions from business interests who like all that cheap labor too.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Well, two things about that: 1). Like the Republicans, they're content for now to pay lip service to the problem yet pretty much let the status quo continue. That tells you they fear losing the corporate support more than their labor support. 2). Not all unions agree on this, but some see immigrants as a growth opportunity. Not necessarily current illegal immigrants, but their kids. Union growth in recent years has not been in traditional rust belt type jobs, but in service industries like hotels.
Originally Posted By cmpaley And unions support for immigrants is certainly not to the extent that corporations support illegal immigration (note the differentiation between the people and the phenomenon...something the rabid-right is either incapable of doing or unwilling to do).
