Speech #1030129896

It may well be that we can work this language appropriately into the House language so that it does not mean the agency cannot give initial. emergency assistance to an individual. I have been told by the agencies that. as drafted. if this language is included. it would meanand I will be specific hereFEMA would have to add 20 to 30 additional disaster assistance centers to handle the delay that would be caused by requiring proof of citizenship at the preliminary screening. I say to Senator REID that this is the main problem about preliminary screening: providers of emergency aid and shelter would be required to inquire about immigration status. not just in cases of longterm aid. but in the very early stages of responding to a disaster. This inquiry process into immigration status of all earthquake aid recipients would create a high burden for FEMA and other agencies who are struggling mightily to provide timely emergency assistance in the midst of what is great destruction. If FEMA or any other agency only checks the documentation of foreignlooking or foreignsounding applicants. they could be subject to an equal protection suit. In other words. if they select people because they appear to be Asian or Hispanic. they could be subject to an equal protection suit. This provision could even delayor denybenefits to legal citizens as well. It is a very sensitive. tender issue. As those who have worked on immigration reform law know. determining immigration status is not an easy task. Proof of being lawfully within the United States. which is the language in the Reid amendment. can involve over a dozen different documents. not just a green card or a passport. Training FEMA workers to evaluate all of these kinds of documents could also be extremely difficult at the initial screening. which is what we are talking about. Many documents that earthquake victims would use to document their immigration status may have been destroyed in the earthquake. What would these people do? On Friday. the U.S. attorneys office announced the formation of a Federal task force of eight Federal agencies to investigate earthquakerelated fraud in food stamps and other governmental assistance programs. I suspect there is going to be far more fraud committed by people who are legal citizens--who are trying to get additional food stamps or who exceed the $24.000 income limit to qualify for HUD section 8 vouchersthan by illegal immigrants trying to get this form of longterm assistance. That is why I am hopeful we will be able to clarify this amendment. because the intent is something that I think both Senator BOXER and I would like to vote for. to say that longterm aidSBA loans. HUD section 8 vouchers. capital grants. longterm food stampscan only go to people who are legitimately here in the United States and can so demonstrate that. So we need to see--and it is my understanding that Senator KENNEDYs immigration staff is available to help and I am grateful for thatto see if we cannot satisfy Senator REIDS concern that reasonable steps will be taken by HUD to see that section 8 vouchers do not go to illegal immigrants and that reasonable steps will be taken by SBA to see that SBA loans and grants will not go to illegal residents. I think that can be handled. But. most importantly.