Cutting Social Services to Immigrants Hurts Us All
New America Media, Commentary, Vanessa Cajina , Posted: May 28, 2009
In response to federal cuts, California stepped up and developed three life-saving programs for lawful immigrants. These include the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP), and full-scope Medi-Cal for lawful immigrants who have been in the United States for fewer than five years. State legislators, both Democrats and Republicans, have consistently voted to keep these services up and running since they were established.
They’ve done this because they understand how critical these services are.
To those who follow the California budget crisis, the Governor’s proposals to eliminate these programs are no surprise. In fact, he’s tried to get rid of these on at least 5 occasions. To its credit, the legislature has stood up for the poor and refused to let these programs go by the wayside. What has been troubling, though, is that the Governor has proposed outright elimination of programs that were signed into law by another Republican Governor, Pete Wilson, and have been maintained by legislators from both parties.
There is a vast difference between reducing funding for a program and completely eliminating it. A significant amount of work has been done over the past thirteen years to ensure that immigrant seniors and disabled folks are able to live with dignity. And when we see one population, in this case lawful immigrants, in the crosshairs time and time again, it becomes apparent that a good number of the cuts being proposed are singling out this population, contrary to what the Schwarzenegger administration claims.
These programs are not large. CAPI, for example, serves around 10,000 lawfully residing elderly or disabled immigrants who are ineligible for federal SSI because, despite the fact that they have lived and worked in the U.S., do not meet the work requirements for SSI. Many CAPI clients are working through the immigration process to get their citizenship and qualify for Social Security, which is federally funded. In the meantime though, CAPI provides monthly cash assistance to low-income immigrants who rely on this small grant to pay their rent, food, and medical care.
CFAP provides food assistance for low-income families, also lawfully residing, who do not yet qualify for federal food stamps. About 22,000 immigrant Californians benefit from CFAP, which keeps them from going hungry while investing in local merchants who sell their wares to these clients. Lastly, the California legislature has recognized the need to provide primary preventive healthcare to low-income lawful immigrants by linking them to full-scope medical care through the state’s Medi-Cal program.
The most disconcerting aspect of this is the callous tenor in which these budget cuts are cast. The Governor’s budget spokesperson, H.D. Palmer, told reporters that in tough times, everyone needs to share in the suffering. He is wrong. Low-income residents already bear the bulk of the pain during bad budget years and have shouldered the load of the budget cuts time and time again. Revenue solutions, such as developing an oil, alcohol or internet purchase tax could bring billions of dollars to the state, but mysteriously vanish when business associations step in.
More examples of the out-of-touch nature of this administration were evident during the Governor’s own press conference when he released his May Revise. When introducing Mike Genest, the Director of the Department of Finance (otherwise known the budget guy), the Governor said to reporters: “Here’s the man who’s at the top of the suicide watch list.” Had the Governor read the letters advocates sent to his office recently, he might not have been so casual in his mention of suicide. Back in 1997, when Congress eliminated SSI benefits for lawful immigrant seniors, there were several reports of seniors who committed suicide when they realized they would no longer have an income, and would need to turn to family members for help. One, a Hmong woman named Chia Yang, lived in Sacramento. Eliminating the only means of support for the disabled and elderly is no laughing matter, and treating these budget cuts with gallows humor in the midst of the worst economic crisis in years is beneath the Governor.
On Immigrant Day an older Vietnamese man told a San Jose assembly member through his translator: “When you see the Governor, ask him one thing. Can he live off $600 a month? Because that’s what I do. But I can’t do it for less. Please don’t make more cuts.”
These cuts indeed hurt us all, and are reflected in homeless rates and in emergency room costs. They consistently target law-abiding newcomers who have paid into our social security and Medicare systems, have fought in our wars, have built our homes, grown our food, and cared for our children and seniors. We all need to share in the solution to our budget crisis but we must take our immigrant seniors, disabled, and working families out of the crosshairs.
Vanessa Cajina is a statewide policy analyst at California Immigrant Policy Center
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User Comments
Pauline Larach on Jun 08, 2009 at 07:40:12 said:
Those who came to 'seek Paradise' and find they have to work and yet have no education to find a good job, should accept to return to their own country and stay put. Children born to them, as US citizens still can live until adults and then return to USA and do hope they get some education.
Many of the immigrants seek to come to this country to sit about and be taken care of. THEY have to be told and accept that a good education, jobs and efforts on their own should be the goal, not seeking total dependence on the US government.
Having married and lived many years in the Republic of Honduras, I know that the majority of those who gained visas to come to the USA, were also brought up and involved in prostitution. it is a way of live for the 75% of those in that Republic who are uneducated, illigiment, and illeriate. They have lived and seek the help of those with more money to support them, their way of upbringing has shown them that sexual contact brings them more funds and helps them take it ease. They are coming here with the same attitude, and education and full self support until age of 62 is NEVER in their thoughts.
I am an American born in rural western North Carolina. during segregation. however my in laws were born in the Jordan =They helped me understand how they had been in the Republic since 1900 and find the poor, illeriate and illigient seek to remain unmarried and hope to have children by some rich person in order to have funds to survive. Hired help are given food, housing and are clothed. few of these are desirious of having burderns of children.
Put those back into their own countries, esp here in California where Mexican's are much the same as those people I knew in Honduras. Children born in this country when 18 can select to return to USA or remain in their own country. My own children selected American citizenship, after they had gone to Honduran Schools in a bilingual program.
My own inlaws children have been denied visas to come out of Honduras, for the country doesn't want those who 'dominate' the merchant field of the whole nation, which the arabs do..to leave the country.
So we get the lower class and less education and less able to restabalish themselves into this enviornment, for here very few need household help yard boys and baby sitters around the clock. which is the type of employees from Mexico which I see working at Marina Village West. and all are involved in prostitution for the extra $'s and as well, steal from all residents they can...a total disgrace...
Brittanicus on May 30, 2009 at 17:22:25 said:
Taxes are a hundred billion silent dollars a year, to underwrite the illegal impoverished immigrants in our nation.
We must all support Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) E-Verify (R-NC) Phone; (256) 533-0979, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC ) Phone: (828)-252-1651;author of E-Verify and SAVE ACT, Nathan Deal (R-GA) (202) 225-5211; introduced the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009 (H.R.1868) Rep. Paul Braun (R-GA) 706-447-3857; ,Kenny Marchant (R-TX) 972-556-0162; are also Sponsoring Birthright Citizenship Act to amend this misinterpreted law. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) (202) 225-2811 introduced, H.R. 2406, the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act of 2009. Reach all participants at: (202) 224-3121
Businesses pay--NOTHING--to the upkeep of the illegal alien occupancy of our country. NOTHING towards health care or Education. It's all free to illegal aliens, without paying a cent into the system. The free traders have also assisted in bringing total collapse to our wilting economy, as you read the frustrated expressions of jobless Americans. Looking through tired eyes they see the padlocked industries that have been producing "Made in the USA" products for generations, now standing silent and empty. All Americans and legal residents need to march on Washington, like Europeans. We need a million man march, except make it 5-10 perhaps in 30 million man march as the African Americans did and protest the travesties of of our constitutional rights, that are fading under liberal judges interpreting law from the bench. No more exporting of jobs, no importation of cheap labor--the devious agenda of free traders. If we carry on--as is--we will wind up with OVERPOPULATION, shortages of resources, energy and water.
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) says the flow of remittances to Latin America has doubled in the past four years, to an estimated $55 billion this year--and that's just Latin America? What about China and other foreign countries? The grand-slam example is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Economics writer Ed Rubenstein’s new report, “The Earned Income Tax Credit and Illegal Immigration: A Study in Fraud, Abuse, and Liberal Activism,” The author says immigrants collected about $12 billion from the EITC last year, the majority not paying a cent towards it. Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation found high school-dropouts-who headed households pay an average of $9,700 a year in taxes but collect an average of $32,138 a year in benefits. All this money in real dollars is procured from unaware taxpayers.
Jobless American workers should--REMOVE--Sen.Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Chuck Schumer and others listed on NUMBERSUSA website as they are conspirators, to defund the border fence, weaken or kill E-Verify, SAVE ACT, police enforcement program (247(g), and the Real ID act. or push for another AMNESTY Read these legislator nefarious resumes on pandering to OPEN-BORDER ENTITIES. Learn the truth, not propaganda by the left at NUMBERSUSA.
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MaryJ on May 29, 2009 at 19:05:12 said:
Lawful or not, immigrants shouldn't be given access to public assistance at the same rate as the native-born who have paid into these programs all their lives, or who are descended from people who paid into these programs all their lives. 25 percent of all Social Security representatives today did not pay a nickle into the fund. Among them are the parents and other elderly relatives of legal immigrants brought here because of "family reunification." As a native-born American I have paid into SS for 30 years and still have 20 more to go before I can collect a dime. Why should a legal immigrants grandma be able to come here and immediately start collecting when I still have to wait and pay for 20 more years? Regarding the budget mess, get real. You can't have open borders and a welfare state. This has been proven over and over again. Once the tax-consumers outnumber the tax providers, it's all over. The productive taxpayers who were forced out of this state so they could be replaced by Third World, tax-consuming immigrants are not coming back from Oregon or Idaho or wherever else they fled to over the past 10 years. You have gone and killed the goose that laid the golden egg, now live with it.
readwithcare on May 29, 2009 at 14:58:42 said:
The prior two commentators should read with a little more care: the programs the author is discussing offer assistance for lawfully residing immigrants, not undocumented immigrants.
It's ironic that you mentioned veteran's benefits: many of the individuals who rely on these programs fought for the United States in the Vietnam war and subsequently accepted into the US as refugees. These heroic individuals struggled and risked their lives for our country and the values it stands for, yet remained ineligible for the benefits many other veterans rightfully receive. Now, in their old age, they may be struggling with disabilities and need some assistance for mere survival. Are these the individuals who you think "should not even be here?"
It's tempting to find scapegoats when we're facing difficult economic times. But we must resist the temptation and stay focused on the facts: the immigrants targeted by these cuts are Americans. They have played by the rules, paid taxes, many sacrificed for our country, and if they face a tragic disability, they should be able to count on living with dignity like any other American.
nativessayno on May 29, 2009 at 10:40:50 said:
The actual "callous tenor" in all of this is the millions of "needy" illegal immigrants that expect us to pay and pay for them as in the 3-time liver recipient that "expects" us to grant her a 4th donor liver...and we pay for 100's of thousands of OB/GYN expenses annually for illegal women that are "single" and Uncle Sam pays for their maternity care & costs, etc...this aint cheap, people....
Yo, taxpayers, YOU pay for this!....Gratitude anyone?
So the author of this piece is a: statewide policy analyst. Here's some analysis for you, Vanessa; we are being soaked (during a severe recession), by person's that SHOULD NOT EVEN BE HERE! Not difficult to figure that out, did you notice that we are in arrears to the tune of several billions?
Do any illegal immigrants have gratitude or feel even just a little uncomfortable having us pay their way? Healthcare and social services for veterans, senior citizens are our foremost obligation. Does the author care about them?
Where does the average taxpayer citizen fit in this so-called analysis? Or do they even count in "immigrant" policy except when the bills arrive?
J Cir on May 28, 2009 at 22:04:46 said:
Funny how this article and the respondents conveniently fail to include the health care costs illegal immigrants impart on the already overburdened California taxpayer. The governor is right to make cuts to programs that illegal immigrants and the children of illegal immigrants cozy up to and leech off of Americans and legal immigrants. The failure of the tax heavy ballot propositions served notice to the Legislature and Governor: we taxpayers are fed up with "feeding the beast". Once State government does its rightful and moral duty and reduces noticeably funds for and access to welfare programs and public programs that draw like a magnet illegal immigrants by the millions, the message will finally crystallize that California and the US is not the free meal ticket it once was. Enter the country legally and appropriate use of resources and public assistance should be guaranteed. Enter the country illegally and overwhelm health care, public schools, prisons, and low-end jobs, then the US no longer welcomes you. Period.
Cary on May 28, 2009 at 13:53:58 said:
The Governor is taking the easy way out by targeting immigrants and the poor in California. We have to stick together to oppose these cuts and challenge Governor Schwarzenegger's cuts only approach. The Governor was willing to tax tobacco companies in 2007 to pay for health care reform, why aren't we talking about doing that now when the state is on the brink of eliminating health insurance for 2 million Californians?
Donna Norton on May 28, 2009 at 11:54:26 said:
Thanks for your insightful article. As a mom, I know that my family's health is only as healthy as the entire community around us. Now, more than ever families, need support. The economic future of California relies on a healthy start for all our children and their families.
Yongho Kim on May 28, 2009 at 11:43:12 said:
Have your organization, business or religious institution sign on to a petition asking the governor and state congress to protect vital social and health services! www.krcla.org/en/Budget
our golden state on May 28, 2009 at 10:59:24 said:
Thank you for this insightful article about the impact of cuts on immigrants and poor communities in general. We have always been the golden state, with opportunities, provision of care for the sick and elderly, and understanding the importance of newcomers to our diversity and economy. We need revenues, not to cut programs for those who are already reeling from the recession - losing homes, jobs, and healthcare.
readwithcare on May 28, 2009 at 09:46:31 said:
This is an important article revealing how hypocritical the governor is: talking about sharing the pain while simultaneously shouting for a "cuts-only" approach to a 23 billion dollar deficit.
The governor's cuts will hurt all kinds of people, and he singles out particular populations for additional cuts to help divide the opposition. For example, US Citizens and green-card holders who have been here fewer than 5 years both will bear the brunt of the elimination of the State Supplement Payment portion of their SSI checks. However, the proposed elimination of the CAPI program targets immigrants as immigrants: that disabled green card holder won't just lose the SSP portion of the small check they rely on for basic necessities - they will lose the whole thing.
I think the author is trying to show how the governor's cuts demonstrate his consistently anti-poor AND anti-immigrant values. Folks concerned about the cuts should unite to talk about the big elephant in the room: we cannot balance our budget through cuts alone. We need to raise more revenues, too.
Isabel on May 28, 2009 at 09:38:07 said:
that's just the point -- the cuts affect everyone, including immigrants. But the Governor has targeted lawfully present immigrant seniors, kids and disabled beyond the cuts he's proposed across the board. I see no harm in talking about how the cuts will hurt these folks -- it doesn't mean the author doesn't support US born kids!
Isabel Alegria on May 28, 2009 at 09:30:44 said:
that's just the point, he's cutting services to everyone, and then targeting immigrants here lawfully even beyond the baseline cuts. I can't see the harm in making a case for these lawfully present elders, kids and people with disabilities. If you support them, is doesn't mean you don't support US born kids!
susan on May 28, 2009 at 06:45:43 said:
He is cutting medical and welfare to EVERYONE . Not just certain people. Do you care about the kids whose families were born in the U.S?
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