Activists: Loss of bus discount hurts illegal immigrants

The Palm Beach Post ^ | June 5, 2012 | Ana M. Valdes

[kevcol]

WEST PALM BEACH — Palm Tran officials say they're selling fewer bus passes at a discount because, among other changes, they're not letting illegal immigrants buy them anymore.

But some immigrant advocates say the rules leave some of the poorest residents of the county scrambling for ways to get to jobs or supermarkets.

"They are relying more and more on taxis, which cost a lot more, and they are deferring going to doctors' appointments and social service appointments," Sergio Palacio, executive director of the Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach, told The Palm Beach Post last week.

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The audit, which Cohen requested, found that community agencies selling discounted passes often were not obtaining photo identifications or verifying income levels of ticket purchasers. Bus pass holders were re-selling discounted tickets at inflated prices, the audit showed.

The county auditor made several recommendations, including tightening oversight of the community agencies and creating a database to document the sale of discounted passes to avoid selling more than one pass per person.
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Despite the drop in sales of the discounted tickets, Palm Tran still had record ridership in fiscal 2011 -- more than 11 million riders.
The change, however, has not gone over well at several community agencies that sell discounted passes. They've expressed concern that the legal status requirement affects undocumented families that rely on public transportation to go to work or the grocery store.

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"It now prevents (undocumented clients) from buying bus passes and using public transportation at a price they can afford," Palacio said. "It's really affecting their quality of life."

[kevcol]

I don't think they have a constitutional right for subsidized public transportation," Josephs said. "We have to understand many taxpayers don't want to feel they are giving their money to subsidize the transportation for undocumented

Good luck with your efforts to "understand" this very complex concept that criminal, illegal aliens are not entitled to anything taxpayer funded except a one-way trip south of the border....in fact that's not only a discount, its free!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

They say that like it's a bad thing.

[HiTech RedNeck]

So when will it get hellish enough that they’ll want to go back to (chiefly) Mexico?

[OldPossum]

My heart pumps pxss for them.

[MNDude]

A while ago, the bus drivers in Minneapolis went on strike. All the stores at the Mall of America loved it because the crime from there virtually vanished.

Once the drivers starte working again, shoplifting and other crimes started up again.

[max americana]

someone make me understand what is the downside to this?

[ArrogantBustard]

If they’re illegals, they shouldn’t be here in the first place.

GTFOOMC!!!

[A_Former_Democrat]

Awww poor Sergio. Is his little job with a nonprofit at risk if the illegals go bye bye?

[kevcol]

Up there with death and taxes. Here is a good article:

Ask virtually any store manager at the Saint Louis Galleria about shoplifting, and you'll invariably get two responses: One, it's out of control; and two, it's gotten exceedingly worse since August 2006, when MetroLink opened a stop just 500 yards from the high-end shopping center.

In the first six months of this year, Richmond Heights police made 345 arrests at the mall. That's nearly double the number of arrests made in all of 2005, before MetroLink opened its Shrewsbury line.

[DoughtyOne]

I’d love to know the percentage of mass transit riders that are illegal aliens in Southern California.

In certain areas, it wouldn’t surprise me if that number reached at least 50%.

[Gaffer]

I hear ya! Loud and Proud...vocal and vociferous....stinging and ringing....well, you get the pitcher....

[Gaffer]

I bet you’d be hard pressed on most any day to walk the sidewalks and find someone you’d consider a natural born American, myself. Last time I was there it was most of a whole day before I met one.

[jiggyboy]

50%? Hah, try striking up a conversation in English with anybody on a San Diego city bus or trolley.

[VeniVidiVici]

How come I never hear of these supporters of illegal aliens ponying up their own money for stuff like free bus passes?

[MNDude]

I know a manager from Target who told me that they had to shut down their Target in a certain area in the inner city because the shoplifting was too great.

[TurboZamboni]

good rule of thumb:live far as possible from the local bus route.

[mongo141]

OH BooHoo!

[JustSayNoToNannies]

Activists: Loss of bus discount hurts illegal immigrants

Anything that hurts illegal immigrants is OK by me.

[montag813]

The audit, which Cohen requested, found that community agencies selling discounted passes often were not obtaining photo identifications or verifying income levels of ticket purchasers. Bus pass holders were re-selling discounted tickets at inflated prices, the audit showed.

Crimmigrant grifters at it again...whether it's selling food stamps in Georgia, or stealing a dead 5-year old's SSN in Arizona, they commit more and more crimes every year they are in this country. Born criminals. Deport them all!

[ExCTCitizen]

"It now prevents (undocumented clients) from buying bus passes and using public transportation at a price they can afford," Palacio said. "It's really affecting their quality of life."

I'll help them get a BUS PASS... to MEXICO!!!