It removes the entitlementthe guarantee that some modest assistance will be there for those families whose desperate circumstances make them eligible. If Federal funds run out. what recourse will these wretched families have? It cuts off whole classes of peoplemost legal immigrants. babies born to unwed mothers under 18. people who have received 5 years of assistancehowever dire their circumstances. And that is in good times. never mind recession. Mr. Chairman. another big problem with the bill is title IV. the provisions related to immigrants. That the United States is a nation of immigrants is a cliche precisely because it is true. We all have roots beyond the borders of the United States. we all have ancestors. as near as parents or as remote as manytimegreat grandparents. who. willingly or not. came to America. We know that immigrants do not come for public assistance. they come to join family members already here and to provide a better life for their children. They work. they pay taxes. they participate in community life. and they play by the rules. Why should they be targeted by this bill? If these restrictions were only to affect future immigrants. who would know the rules before they immigrated. well. I would disagree with the policy but it would be a little fairer. However. title IV. in cutting off people who are already hereand who face horrendous backlogs when they try to naturalizemakes sense only as a spending offset. It is certainly not fair to immigrants or their families and sponsors. A relatively small problem. Mr.
Keywords matched
immigrated immigrants