By Nicholas Riccardi [with my disgust in parenthesis]
Tribune Newspapers
January 10, 2010
TUCSON, Ariz. —
Cristina, an illegal immigrant living in South Tucson, recently went to a government office to sign up her children for a state-run Medicaid program. [their legally afforded American right]
The boy and girl, ages 7 and 3, respectively, are U.S. citizens and entitled to the benefits. But Cristina, who spoke on condition her last name not be used, was afraid. [afraid because of anti-Mexican sentiment by Americans; yes the same Americans who gratefully accept her underpaid labor and don't seek to hold morally bankrupt companies legally responsible; good old Republican values: fear and loathing!].
She had heard of a new state law requiring public workers to alert Immigration and Customs Enforcement when illegal immigrants apply for benefits to which they're not legally entitled. [Hmmm, doesn't sound much like what Cristina is trying to do... maybe her legal children should do the paperwork themselves.]
So when workers asked Cristina, 32, for identification, she fled. She now says she has no way to treat her daughter's liver problems and her son's asthma and impacted tooth.
Cristina, a [likely underpaid] part-time housecleaner and single mother, is even reluctant to take her children to a hospital emergency room. "I feel so alone," she said.
The new law has terrified the immigrant community here, leading to agonized discussions at schools, churches and community meetings about whether it is safe to get government help in Arizona. The author of the law, state Sen. Russell Pearce, is happy about that. [Because Russel Pearce is a fear-mongering legislator who reminds me of the Nazis in creating fearful loyalty among terrified citizens. Dear Lord, will they come for those evil protective pastors or the villainous Liberals next?]
"I have a hard time having compassion for criminals, [small cuddly animals, or legally entitled Mexican-American children]" Pearce said. "It's about time people started being afraid."
Pearce contends that a large number of illegal immigrants improperly receive public benefits [I'd love to see the research on this. And when you do provide it, why don't you bring the research on how much this population of cheap labor is exploited in order to benefit the US economy... my bad, I guess I was thinking people over profits.], and his law makes it a misdemeanor for a public worker to fail to report one. He acknowledged his bill is not supposed to apply to people like Cristina's children, who are entitled to federal benefits [Whoops, I didn't think scaring people into near non-existence would lead to their families not receiving legally entitled benefits... who'da thunk it?].
The law took effect in late November, and it is not yet clear what government services it covers. Many Arizonans are awaiting an opinion from the state's attorney general on the law's scope.
Critics of the law say it creates fear and uncertainty over a problem that doesn't exist [AKA fear-mongering, a level 100 in GOP school].
"It's already the law in Arizona that we cannot give benefits to people who are in the country illegally," said Ken Strobeck, executive director of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, which unsuccessfully sued to halt the law's implementation [Wow, doubly ensuring fear in the immigrant. Is this getting old yet?].
Experts on both sides of the Immigration debate agree that illegal immigrants rarely receive government benefits illegally.
Original Post here
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