Speech #1040124066

I want to thank the Senator from Wyoming for his able assistance in working out this compromise. Mr. President. we all agree that illegal aliens should not bd eligible for Federal programs. The only exception is when the assistance is in the nature of emergency services. Both the Dole bill and the Democratic bill underscore this policy. But the situation is very different with respect to legal immigrants. They are lawfully in this country. and they make substantial contributions to our communities and to our Nation. They work. they create jobs. they pay taxes. they promote family values. and they contribute to the sciences. the arts and culture. In fact. legal immigrants contribute $25 to $35 billion more in taxes each year than they take out in services. including the educational costs of their children. We all want to get tough on illegal immigration. But the Dole proposal does so in a way that turns countless churches. synagogues. and community groups into Immigration police. If they receive Government funds to operate soup kitchens. food pantries. battered womens shelters. rape crisis centers. and many other community services. they must now check a needy clients immigration status before they can provide assistance. This means that priests. ministers. rabbis. social workers. teachers. family crisis counselors. and community health workers must become immigration police and check for green cards before they can offer help or carry out their humanitarian work. Imagine a shattered young girl. brutally raped and requiring immediate care and counseling at a rape crisis center. If the center is even partially funded with Government money. under this bill. the center must first determine if the traumatized young victim is a citizen or noncitizen. They must find out whether she is here legally or illegally. If she is illegal. they cant help her. In addition. if she is a legal immigrant. they must determine if she has a sponsor. find out what the sponsors income is. and determine whether deeming the sponsors income makes her eligible or ineligible for Governmentfunded help. This same lengthy and complicated process would be repeated countless times all across the country. Priests must check the immigration status of the homeless and hungry at church soup kitchens. Social workers must check the status of battered women seeking protection. Teachers must check the status of children enrolling in Head Start programs. Rabbis must check the status of the elderly for assistance to the homebound. For example. in 1993. Catholic charities provided services to needy people across Americacitizens and noncitizens alikeincluding food pantries. soup kitchens. homeless shelters. family counseling programs. and other valuable community assistance. More than 60 percent of the funding for these services came from Federal. State. and local governments. This assistance is provided on the basis of need. As a result. under the Dole bill. Catholic Charities would be required to check immigration status beftre they help anyone. We all agree that Head Start programs give children an effective early start toward a more successful and fulfilling future. But under the Dole bill. Head Start teachers would have to check childrens green cards before they enter the program. The Department of Health and Human Services offers a partial list of noncash programs under its jurisdiction which would be affected by the harsh features of the Dole bill. Significant portions of these programs are administered by communitybased organizations. churches. and other nonprofit groups. who would be required by the bill to check the immigration status of their clients. The list includes: Programs serving abused and neglected children and preventing family and domestic violence. Programs providing critical public health services to women and children. including maternal and child health.