By National Columnist Murray Shallow
In the growing debate on immigration reform, almost nobody has focused
on the REAL problem. It is NOT the young Mexican fruit picker or African
restaurant worker. It is ACTUALLY the Philippine grandmother brought
over by her family, or the Russian senior citizen whom Moscow’s
government is glad the US will take off their hands. Uncle Sam, perhaps the
world's biggest sucker, welcomes them with open arms.
Under current US immigration laws, legal immigrants and naturalized
citizens are allowed to bring over family members. This is all well and
good for bringing over spouses or children. Spouses can work, and
children can grow up to be good citizens and productive members of the
workforce. But what about elderly Grandparents or Aunts? Many are too infirm
to work or contribute to American society. They can actually be a drain
on our already burdened social services.
Any immigrant to the US who brings over an aged relative should be
providing food, clothing and shelter for them. However, some immigrant
families see the US as a fool with a huge bankroll. Sadly, they’re right.
The elderly relative is bundled off to the nearest Welfare office to
apply for Food Stamps or Med-caid or other programs. Current local, state
and national laws actually allow them to get it! Elderly immigrants
receive hundreds of US taxpayer dollars per month. Even when they have
families who are supposed to care for them!
The US Social Security system is the worst offender in this regard.
There is one particular program called SSI, Supplemental Security
Insurance. It is for people who are too ill to work. You don’t have to be a
full US citizen to get it, or even to have worked in the United States!
Very often, aged foreign nationals are allowed to be eligible for this
program. They receive payments of several hundred dollars of cash aid
per month. They also receive free or low cost medical care. Given the
current price of Medical care, this health care alone is worth billions
of dollars.
The fault lies in three places. The US Congress passes laws allowing
elderly foreign relatives to tap the public till. The State Department
indiscriminately issues visas to them. State and county laws allow these
people to be eligible to assistance.
The minutemen shouldn’t be wasting their time and energy at the border,
catching one or two hapless Mexicans. If they really cared about going
after the BIG dollars, they would be sending picketers to Congress, the
US State Department, to State Governors offices and to local
Legislatures! They’re the real culprits!
I urge all concerned Americans to contact their State and National
Congressional representatives, and ask them to do the following:
-Demand from the Social Security Administration and State and County
Welfare offices, statistics on how many elderly foreign nationals receive
public assistance.
-Introduce legislation that requires ALL newly naturalized citizens who
bring over an elderly relative to sign a sworn statement that these
relatives will NOT apply for public assistance. There should be stiff
penalties for violation. If a person agrees to sponsor an alien and that
alien applies for public assistance, the Sponsor should be fined and the
sponsoree should be deported. Plain and simple.
-Maintain a national computer database of all elderly relatives who
enter the US. This database should be make available to Welfare offices to
cross check. These people should be denied benefits, as their families
can and should care for them.
-Increase the budgets for Welfare Fraud Investigators, and actively
recruit more speciality language officers, such as Somali.
-If any Congressperson raises objections about the costs of
implementing such a program, ask them to balance the cost of enforcement versus
how much is currently being spent on benefits for Elderly immigrants.
Immigration reform is a very real and serious issue. But I tell all
Americans, don’t express anger about some underpaid Spanish speaking
janitor. He’s at least working and contributing to our economy. Instead,
express it about the Vietnamese grandmother brought over here by family,
and who receives SSI, free Medical care, and taxpayer monies!
In the growing debate on immigration reform, almost nobody has focused
on the REAL problem. It is NOT the young Mexican fruit picker or African
restaurant worker. It is ACTUALLY the Philippine grandmother brought
over by her family, or the Russian senior citizen whom Moscow’s
government is glad the US will take off their hands. Uncle Sam, perhaps the
world's biggest sucker, welcomes them with open arms.
Under current US immigration laws, legal immigrants and naturalized
citizens are allowed to bring over family members. This is all well and
good for bringing over spouses or children. Spouses can work, and
children can grow up to be good citizens and productive members of the
workforce. But what about elderly Grandparents or Aunts? Many are too infirm
to work or contribute to American society. They can actually be a drain
on our already burdened social services.
Any immigrant to the US who brings over an aged relative should be
providing food, clothing and shelter for them. However, some immigrant
families see the US as a fool with a huge bankroll. Sadly, they’re right.
The elderly relative is bundled off to the nearest Welfare office to
apply for Food Stamps or Med-caid or other programs. Current local, state
and national laws actually allow them to get it! Elderly immigrants
receive hundreds of US taxpayer dollars per month. Even when they have
families who are supposed to care for them!
The US Social Security system is the worst offender in this regard.
There is one particular program called SSI, Supplemental Security
Insurance. It is for people who are too ill to work. You don’t have to be a
full US citizen to get it, or even to have worked in the United States!
Very often, aged foreign nationals are allowed to be eligible for this
program. They receive payments of several hundred dollars of cash aid
per month. They also receive free or low cost medical care. Given the
current price of Medical care, this health care alone is worth billions
of dollars.
The fault lies in three places. The US Congress passes laws allowing
elderly foreign relatives to tap the public till. The State Department
indiscriminately issues visas to them. State and county laws allow these
people to be eligible to assistance.
The minutemen shouldn’t be wasting their time and energy at the border,
catching one or two hapless Mexicans. If they really cared about going
after the BIG dollars, they would be sending picketers to Congress, the
US State Department, to State Governors offices and to local
Legislatures! They’re the real culprits!
I urge all concerned Americans to contact their State and National
Congressional representatives, and ask them to do the following:
-Demand from the Social Security Administration and State and County
Welfare offices, statistics on how many elderly foreign nationals receive
public assistance.
-Introduce legislation that requires ALL newly naturalized citizens who
bring over an elderly relative to sign a sworn statement that these
relatives will NOT apply for public assistance. There should be stiff
penalties for violation. If a person agrees to sponsor an alien and that
alien applies for public assistance, the Sponsor should be fined and the
sponsoree should be deported. Plain and simple.
-Maintain a national computer database of all elderly relatives who
enter the US. This database should be make available to Welfare offices to
cross check. These people should be denied benefits, as their families
can and should care for them.
-Increase the budgets for Welfare Fraud Investigators, and actively
recruit more speciality language officers, such as Somali.
-If any Congressperson raises objections about the costs of
implementing such a program, ask them to balance the cost of enforcement versus
how much is currently being spent on benefits for Elderly immigrants.
Immigration reform is a very real and serious issue. But I tell all
Americans, don’t express anger about some underpaid Spanish speaking
janitor. He’s at least working and contributing to our economy. Instead,
express it about the Vietnamese grandmother brought over here by family,
and who receives SSI, free Medical care, and taxpayer monies!
Murray Shallow's Corner
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