Posted on 05/13/2006 2:36:17 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
MADISON, WI (AP) -- Illegal immigrants in Wisconsin would be cut off from state prescription drug discounts, the state's health insurance program for the working poor and Social Security benefits under a bill sitting on Gov. Jim Doyle's desk.
Under the Republican-authored measure, only U.S. citizens or lawful immigrants would be eligible for public benefits from the state Health and Family Services and Workforce Development departments. Applicants would have to show proof of citizenship or legal immigration status. State workers would have to certify the documents' authenticity or face fines.
Sen. Tom Reynolds, R-West Allis, the bill's author, said his constituents have told him in listening sessions they want a measure like this one.
He's convinced illegal immigrants are flocking to Wisconsin because it's easy to cheat the system. For too many years government has closed its eyes to growing immigration problems, he said. Now it's hard to ignore, he said.
Just in the last few weeks, thousands of Latinos have taken to the streets in major cities around the country to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants, saying they're a crucial cog in the nation's economy.
"It's gotten to the point that people see with their eyes a little bit more that their country is changing around them," Reynolds said. "Wisconsin is a magnet for illegal immigrants because of our lax process of not checking into whether people are illegals."
His measure represents another attempt by Republicans who control the state Legislature to stiffen Wisconsin's immigration laws.
The governor in March signed a GOP bill that requires Wisconsin driver's license applicants to provide proof of citizenship. Earlier this month, Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, introduced a bill that would have ensured county benefits workers are allowed to ask applicants about their immigration status. That bill came in response to a Dane County ordinance that prevents benefits workers from asking about applicants' citizenship, but the measure fell short of passage.
"It seems to be one after the other, one after the other as if they don't have anything else to worry about. They're looking at the immigrant community as the scapegoat for everything these days," said Alfonso Zepeda-Capistran, former president of Latinos United for Change and Advancement, a Madison-based nonprofit organization that works to improve the quality of Hispanics' lives.
A dozen groups have reported lobbying on Reynolds' bill, according to the state Ethics Board. All but one are against it. The only exception - Milwaukee County - doesn't have a position.
Opponents say the bill would hurt poor illegal immigrants who need help the most. The measure also would drive up administrative costs and block benefits for U.S. citizens who don't have birth certificates or other documents, they say.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, director of the immigrant advocacy group Voces de la Frontera in Milwaukee, said Reynolds is exaggerating the number of illegal applicants.
She pointed to a state audit of 200 randomly selected 2002 Medical Assistance cases that found no applicant with questionable citizenship was approved. The audit also examined 101 denials, turning up eight instances where an applicant couldn't get benefits because of questionable citizenship.
"It's hate-mongering," she said of the bill. "You're talking about disenfranchising ... people in the state of Wisconsin from some of the most basic social safety nets."
Federal law already requires proof of citizenship for Wisconsin's welfare-to-work program, or W-2, Medicaid and food stamps. Under current state law, benefits workers ask applicants for other programs if they're in the country legally. If the applicant answers yes, the workers don't have to verify the statement.
Reynolds' bill would expand the citizenship requirement for any program administered by the state Health and Family Services and Workforce Development departments, including BadgerCare, the state's health insurance program for the poor; SeniorCare, the state's enormously popular prescription drug discount program for seniors>; eligibility for state grants counties use to cover people's health care costs; and state supplemental payments to federal Social Security.
Each agency would be able to define acceptable documentation. Intake workers who don't verify those documents would face a $250 fine.
"It is supposedly illegal for benefits to go to illegal immigrants. But the process is so open and easy to neglect that. This just tightens it up," Reynolds said.
Charity Eleson, executive director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, said the bill could freeze out elderly and disabled U.S. citizens who don't have easy access to birth certificates or other documents.
"Not too many of us carry our birth certificates around with us all the time," Eleson said. "It's a big blunt instrument that is not necessary."
Reynolds scoffed at that.
"Who doesn't have documentation that they have been in the country legally forever?" he said. "They make up just this rhetoric, which is nonsense."
Doyle, a Democrat, can either sign the bill into law or veto it. It's unclear which way the governor is leaning. Spokesman Matt Canter said Doyle is still reviewing the legislation.
In a March letter to the Wisconsin Migrant Coalition, the governor said he had to sign the driver's license bill to comply with federal mandates. He went on to say he opposes Reynolds' bill, calling it "an insult to our immigrant community" that would prevent innocent children from getting basic help.
Zepeda-Capistran hopes Doyle puts his money where his mouth is.
"Saying he opposes it is not enough in my book," he said.
"Daily Doyle" Ping.
L
Start a recall petition.
I can wait the 6 months until he's voted out of office. ;) Tommy Thompson may be swooping in to save us from ourselves...We'll know for sure tomorrow. :)
"He's convinced illegal immigrants are flocking to Wisconsin because it's easy to cheat the system. For too many years government has closed its eyes to growing immigration problems, he said. Now it's hard to ignore, he said.
It's actually easy to cheat the system in every city and state unfortunately and it appears they are getting away with breaking even more laws. BUT when the taxpayer gets stuck with the bill it's time to scream STOP!!
Opponents say the bill would hurt poor illegal immigrants who need help the most.
Cry me a river. If they need help so much, let them go back home and get it. We can't support all of the world's poor.
The measure also would drive up administrative costs and block benefits for U.S. citizens who don't have birth certificates or other documents, they say.
I don't think so. U.S. citizens have a lot of documents that are acceptable to the gov't, even if they don't have a birth certificate. Baptism or other church records; *legitimate* SS registration; parents' wedding certificate; etc. all can be used either alone or in combination. I suspect that many of us have at some point misplaced a birth certificate and used alternative documents. I have.
"U.S. citizens have a lot of documents that are acceptable to the gov't, even if they don't have a birth certificate."
Well said. I have all of my Great Grandma Emma's paperwork from her life in Germany and her immigration here to the USA at age 18 to marry my Great Grandpa John, who had come here legally a number of years before her, also from Germany. She and I look so much alike, from her old photos, it's scarey!
This illegal chit has got me so irritated! I'm planning on making a framed layout of all of their photos and papers and all, showing that my ancestors did it all the legal and right way and weren't out marching in the streets, waiving the Flag of Germany and demanding rights they were not eligible for in America.
This whole thing DOES make one want to look into their OWN history in this country, does it not? Maybe some good will come of this as we get in touch once again with our ancestry and realize how darn lucky we are to be here and to be Americans. :)
At least you won't have to be saddled with it much longer.
Agree.
And it is now very easy to order a copy of your birth certificate online for legal purposes. Needing a birth certificate is so common. It was even required for my kids' little league to show proof of age. There's NO reason that social services can't require one before they hand out free services.
Disenfranchising????? How do you disenfranchise someone who DOESN'T BELONG in the first place? Under that line of thought, giving a speeder a ticket for speeding would be disenfranchising. Arresting a bank robber would be disenfranchising - maybe even worse - because a criminal, once convicted, can't vote (except in DemoncRAT controled areas)...
Of course, the same folks that scream "hate mongering" and "disenfranchisment" are the same liberals who support infanticide with taxpayer dollars (now talk about the ultimate in disenfranchisment - they don't even get a chance to be born...much less get public services or a vote).
"the immigrant community"
NO, that is the ILLEGAL community.
Some years ago, the VA DMV decided that I was illegal, and withdrew my drivers license. I had to fly back from STL, present myself in the DMV with documentation, and argue my case.
It took three days.
I won, eventually - they decided that, yes, maybe, I might be a native-born US citizen.
After the DoD and state department intervened.
Then they insisted, since I was a newly-natralized US native-borne American Citizen, my Drivers License was still invalid, and I would need to take the test, before they could issue me a new one.
sigh.
I know my history in this country. Both sets of grandparents came through Ellis Island in the early 20th century. One set came through as indentured servants, and the other set just showed up. Did you know that in those days, anyone could just show up at Ellis Island, and the US Gov't would process them through? The only ones who were refused were ones who had diseases or proven criminal records.
One grandfather spoke English when he arrived. The other 3 didn't. But they were so anxious to assimilate that neither set allowed their children to speak anything but English.
My mother's mother used to tell her how proud she was that she had given her children such opportunity.
My grandparents came here to become Americans, and so that their children and grandchildren would be American. They didn't come here to make America like their homeland. They would not have tolerated any of this "multi-culturism" nonsense. America was their dream.
BUT what can WE do? A LOT!
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631826/posts
"Under the Republican-authored measure, only U.S. citizens or lawful immigrants would be eligible for public benefits from the state Health and Family Services and Workforce Development departments. Applicants would have to show proof of citizenship or legal immigration status. State workers would have to certify the documents' authenticity or face fines."
This is such an inherently good, commonsense proposal, even a Democrat gov might be forced to sign it, whether he wants to or not (based on his liberal "ideals"), simply because, time and time again, polls show that the overwhelming majority of Americans WANT this type of legislation.
When the libs start pulling out the word "disenfranchisement" (or "homophobia" or "hate crime" or "racist/bigot") which they probably couldn't accurately define if you held a gun to their heads, you know that you are on the right track.
"Safety net" is a term that really applies to the safety net of the taxpayer funded employment of liberals who work on problems that they claim to want to solve but actually perpetuate, mostly to preserve their jobs.
And best of all, after you show them example after example of the problem this legislation will solve, they will claim it is "anecdotal" yet claim that we NEED the illegals to do the job Americans won't do. I guess that these public services are those legal Americans don't "need" or want, right?
Now just tack on a provision for proof of citizenship to vote, and we are on track to get this problem REALLY solved. Failure to do so only proves that Democrats are dependent on the votes of illegals. Or plan to be.
good luck. MN passed a law(or tried) to make it so that people had to reside in MN at least 6 months before they could get their gubmint cheese. the courts said it was unconstitutional.
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