The perils of giving illegal immigrants amnesty

Bonnie Erbe

7/21/2010

Just so we’re clear on this: current law bars illegal immigrants from receiving welfare benefits such as Medicaid (other than for emergency medical care.) But what happens if, as the Democrats would like, they become legal citizens? Congress places a five-year exclusion from most welfare programs on legal immigrants.

In addition, visa sponsors are required of legal immigrants. Sponsors are supposed to help out new immigrants with financial support for the first few years they are living in the United States. Would lawmakers make immigrants granted legal status through amnesty secure sponsors? The answer is, probably not. That in turn would transform them into a greater financial burden on taxpayers.

And now… the rest of the story. …..

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