Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Stand up for Immigrants

By

 

Shall the State Representative be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would require proof of legal residence in Massachusetts before an applicant could obtain publicly funded state benefits.

was on the ballot in the November elections in Jen Benson’s district thanks to the hard work of her Republican opponent Kurt Hayes. Although this passed by 77% on our November ballot, most voters I spoke with reported that it was a surprise to see it and at the time they voted for it did not understand that it was directed at our un-documented immigrant neighbors.

Last night the Republican Town Committee asked the Acton Town Meeting to re-affirm this vote and it was overwhelmingly crushed in a voice vote.

See what a little discussion and education can do for civil a civil rights issue. Voters do get it when they here both sides.

Unfortunately, the media has become so filled with angry conservative rhetoric we rarely get to hear a progressive argument like written by President Lincoln:

I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor or degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it “all men are created equal, except negroes” When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read “all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.” When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty — to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy [sic].

“Unalienable rights” are not bestowed by law, but protected by law. They are not for a selected few or governed by where you were born, but for every person. We have equal liberty as the least among us, for we could be included with that group at any time on the whim of the majority.

Similar petitions have sprung up all through our area. We can beat back the attack on immigrants, labor, gays, the poor, women, minorities, Muslims…. And Democrats can be elected if they speak up and stand for progressive values. Lincoln was re-elected as was Kennedy and Roosevelt the most progressive, who was rewarded with the most re-elections. Progressive values are the most powerful campaign tool.

* Non sequitur ~ The MW Dems Breakfast is this Sunday, April 10, 10am at the Hudson Portuguese Club, 13 Port Street, Hudson. Always a fun time. Hope you can all make it!

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Comments

  1. I thought a recent report said that a lot of people (not immigrants, but US citizens) were getting health benefits in MA?

    • between where someone was born, (they have no choice), and where they choose to live.

      <

      p>I am firmly against denying Massachusetts health benefits to those residing in Massachusetts that were born in New Hampshire.

  2. Is this not already the law?

    <

    p>Why wouldn’t or shouldn’t publicly funded benefits, mostly privileges rather than inalienable rights, be reserved for legal residents? (unless you are primarily refering to those brought here as young children)

    • you missed the point of Abe’s statement.

      <

      p>The Know Nothings supported limiting legal immigration and ending a pathway to citizenship for foreigners so that they could no longer fully participate in the communities where they resided.

      <

      p>President Lincoln “abhorred” the idea of inequality based on race, religion or national origin.

      <

      p>Strange how corporations now have the freedom to move about that was once reserved for people.

      • I don’t want to limit the path to legal status at all.  It sounds like you are supporting public benefits for people not here legally, and that is the part with which I disagree.  I say get legal first, then apply for benefits.

  3. (while agreeing with Sue’s main point)

    <

    p>Yes, current law makes undocumented immigrants ineligible for nearly all state and federal benefits.  (There are very  few exceptions, such as a federal law providing for emergency medical attention when necessary.)  

    <

    p>However, that fact has not deterred some of our state legislators (mostly but not exclusively Republicans) from an annual scapegoating ritual in which all the state’s fiscal woes blamed on undocumented immigrants and legislation is proposed to keep them from continuing their nefarious draining of our treasury. It does not matter whether the legislation imposes significant new costs on the state or significant new inconveniences on citizens and others here legally. Money is, just this once, no object.  

    <

    p>For example, here is part of former Republican State Representative Jeff Perry’s proposal from last year.  

    <

    p>

    An agency or a political subdivision shall verify the lawful presence in the United States of each applicant eighteen years of age or older for federal public benefits or state public benefits by requiring the applicant to…Produce: A valid Massachusetts driver license or a Massachusetts identification card, issued pursuant to section 8 of chapter 90 of the General Laws, and 540 Code of Massachusetts Regulation (CMR) 2.06 (3) (b); A United States military card or military dependent’s identification card; or A United States Coast Guard Merchant Mariner card; or A Native American tribal document.  

    <

    p>So how would this would work in one area where it is claimed that undocumented immigrants are ripping off the system — unemployment insurance.

    <

    p>Let’s say you are a U.S. citizen and you have just lost your job.

    <

    p>There are lots of safeguards already in place to make sure that immigrants without work authorization are not permitted to work.  

    <

    p>For example, when you started your job, your employer was required to verify that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

    <

    p>Under both state and federal law, including subsection (h) of this state law, noncitizens without work authorization are ineligible for unemployment.  

    <

    p>All applications for unemployment insurance are automatically checked through the federal SAVE system.

    <

    p>The state unemployment agency has a Program Integrity Department that continuously receives nationwide cross-checks of earnings reports, Social Security Numbers and other information, preventing unemployment insurance payments to persons without work authorization.

    <

    p>In part because all these safeguards are in place, you can apply for unemployment insurance in a few minutes over the telephone.  

    <

    p>Now, imagine if Representative Perry’s proposal was the law.  

    <

    p>The unemployment agency no longer can accept applications over the phone.  Instead, you and the thousands of who are applying for unemployment insurance every month have to go to an office in person and present your driver’s license, and the state agency has to keep a record of your visit.  In addition to the inconvenience and lost time to you, this step will also likely delay your unemployment insurance check.  

    <

    p>The federal government, which pays for a most of the state costs of administering the unemployment insurance program, will not pay for this additional procedure, because it is unnecessary.  So all the new state employees and other costs are the state’s responsibility.

    <

    p>Where immigrant scapegoating is concerned, it seems, there’s no such thing as cutting off your nose to spite your face.  

    <

    p>

    • Herald

      <

      p>What if people without insurance who live in NH come down to MA to get treatment? Shouldn’t we be taking care of them as well?

      <

      p>I just don’t see the difference if the person comes from a less progressive state or from some other country, including developed ones with health care that is not as comprehensive as  ours.

    • …reinforcing the fact of an existing law to score political points, possibly, as with Jeff Perry’s proposal, creating either a new agency or more redtape in an existing agency?

      <

      p>Funny, I could have sworn Republicans were against the unnecessary expansion and duplication of government functions!:)

      • Seeing as whenever government hands out free anything (food, health care, tuition, housing) we are shocked, shocked I say, when people who are ineligible for the free stuff lie on the application in order to get it.

        <

        p>So yeah, they should do a better job ensuring that taxpayer money does not go to anyone ineligible for a program. The reality is that the more people that try to game the system, the less money there is to help those out that qualify for it legally.

        <

        p>Are you saying that no one is currently receiving benefits that has fraudulently obtained them?  

        • Don’t pass another one that wouldn’t do anything differently just to stoke a needlessly fearful base.

        • Do we want to concentrate on ensuring no innocent person goes to jail or that no guilty person goes free.
          Do we spend efforts ensuring every eligible person receives benefits or no ineligible person participates.

          <

          p>These choices reflect our community character.

          <

          p>You have made some interesting choices on freebies from the government discussed. Many folks have contempt for the free services that don’t directly benefit them presently and ignore those that benefit them. Free roads, highways. Free education, libraries, police and fire. Free insurance on your bank deposits, consumer protection services, and much more, not including all the government subsidized services.

          <

          p>In the same manner it is easy to ignore laws that inconvenience us whether it is traffic laws, parking, drug, alcohol, tax, etc. and condemn someone who overstayed there visa.

          <

          p>Perhaps the biggest hypocrisy is the willingness to receive the financial benefit immigrants provide, and then be aghast if they want to share in bounty of their work. They can work to build the schools and hospitals, maintain them and provide services, but not send their children?

          <

          p>Even better is how we encourage immigrants to be counted in the census so their numbers are used to determine the distribution of federal tax dollars, but then insist they are taking the money away from someone else if they were to actually use the benefits?

          <

          p>If a child meets residency and scholastic achievement requirements to attend college, to add an additional requirement of green card is clearly discriminatory. … and benefits no one.

          <

          p>It only serves to obstruct the next generation of scientists, entrepreneurs and leaders our country needs to reach its potential.

          <

          p>Perhaps its time to re-examine the choices we’re making to ensure we don’t allow bigotry to hinder our potential.

          • I don’t believe that people, who are here in violation of our law should be eligible for taxpayer benefits.

            <

            p>Therefore, according to your view, anyone that disagrees with benefits for illegal immigrants is a bigot who’s views ultimately hurt our country.

            <

            p>You realize that only a portion of illegal immigration is from our southern border? A large percentage is from non-latino areas of the world. Yet, every time that people who are tired of their money being spent on those who are ineligible to receive it, because a percentage of the group that will receive it is latino, anyone against it is a bigot.

            <

            p>Instead of playing the race card, why don’t we close the loopholes that allow illegal immigrants of all races to receive benefits?

            <

            p>When will you liberals, I’m sorry progressives, understand that it’s not about race, it’s about the content of character and ensuring that those that live in this country respect the laws that govern it.

            • exactly?

              <

              p>

              country of birth of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population: January 2006
                          Estimated Pop in Jan   % of total
              All countries  11,550,000                 100
              Mexico            6,570,000                  57
              El Salvador         510,000                   4
              Guatemala          430,000                   4
              Philippines          280,000                   2
              Honduras             280,000                   2
              India                   270,000                   2
              Korea                  250,000                   2
              Brazil                  210,000                   2
              China                  190,000                   2
              Vietnam               160,000                   1
              Other               2,410,000                  21

              Note: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
              Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

              <

              p>It appears that there are about 1/4 non-latins. Of those a “large percentage” are asian, black and muslim – groups which rarely experience bigotry in the US?

              <

              p>Maybe I get the wrong impression listening to Glenn Beck and Jay Severin spew hysteria about the browning of America and spanish speaking people being the lowest rungs of the ladder. So other than bigotry, name the reason for enacting laws that make it illegal for these people to enter and become citizens.

              • So Sue, a neighbor of mine married a Jamaican national in Jamaica. He had to wait almost 2 years to get permission to join her permanently in the States. So even though they played by the rules, anyone that jumped the line gets a free pass?  

                • as just a little ridiculous? I’ve heard of people waiting much longer to join their families. Should we therefore have made them wait longer or fix the system?
                  I mean, don’t ya hate it when your stuck in traffic and a motorcycle whizzes by. Makes you wanna….

                  <

                  p>We could save more than the all the cuts in the federal budget last night, just by fixing the immigration and getting rid of the costs for border patrol, ins finding and deporting immigrants, and other associated costs.

                  Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, Ph.D., founding director of the North American Integration and Development Center at the University of California, Los Angeles conducted research that leads him to believe that legalization of unauthorized workers would yield $1.5 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 10 years. In three years it may generate $4.5 to $5.4 billion in tax revenue and consumer spending to support 750,000 to 900,000 jobs. In these days of economic contraction, unemployment and outsourcing, shouldn’t the powers that be listen to credible people promoting ways to generate jobs and additional GDP while saving millions in deportation costs?

                  <

                  p>Are you suggesting that it is worth it to you and your friend to pay billions of tax dollars and loose trillions to fund a system that is as broken as your story suggests because…

                • as Americans if the government can tell you your wife cannot live in your house?
                  Where’s the conservative outrage?

          • Sue writes:

            Perhaps the biggest hypocrisy is the willingness to receive the financial benefit immigrants provide, and then be aghast if they want to share in bounty of their work. They can work to build the schools and hospitals, maintain them and provide services, but not send their children?

            <

            p>The even bigger hypocrisy is that most undocumented workers pay taxes for the wages they earn.

            <

            p>

            The widespread belief is that illegal aliens cost more in government services than they contribute to the economy. This belief is undeniably false. [E]very empirical study of illegals’ economic impact demonstrates the opposite . . .: undocumenteds actually contribute more to public coffers in taxes than they cost in social services.

            and

            two-thirds of illegal immigrants pay Social Security, Medicare and personal income taxes.
            …
            According to the Congressional Budget Office and the Social Security Administration, undocumented immigrants pay many different types of taxes, including sales, property, and social security taxes individual income…
            …
            the Social Security Administration estimates that about seventy five percent (75%) of illegal workers contribute to the overall solvency of Social Security and Medicare by paying taxes.

            In 2005 the agency estimates that on about $75 billion in wages from people who filed W2 forms with incorrect or mismatched data, about $9 billion in taxes was paid.

            <

            p>Perhaps most importantly

            Q: How is the undocumented immigrant community affecting the U.S. economy?

            A: First and foremost, it’s a source of value added. The total goods and services that they consume through their paycheck, plus all that they produce for their employers, is close to about $800 billion.

            They’re also producing at relatively lower costs because the undocumented population typically gets about 20% less in wages than if they were legalized. That leads to lower prices for us and higher profits to employers.

            In addition, they’re obviously a huge consumer base. We’ve seen that 90% of the wages that the undocumented population gets are spent inside the U.S. Remittances are sent abroad, but that only represents about 10% of immigrants’ income. The numbers are becoming quite huge. We estimate about $50 billion dollars in remittances this year. That means that total consumptive capacity remaining in the U.S. is $400 billion to $450 billion.

            Not that there should be any happiness about some of the abuses of the system and of these workers.

            <

            p>Nonetheless, it is hard to claim that immigrants are anything but a net positive for our country. They add to our economy, they add to federal and state coffers, they send home very little, and the services they use are a fraction of what they contribute.  

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