If I could mention. as we get into this illegal alien issue. which is one of the reasons I am here tonight and I am so concerned. is that President Clinton has repeatedly promised the people of California that he would be helpful on that issue and that I am sorry to say tonight that what we see happening in Washington. DC today is that not only is the President not trying to help us on the illegal alien issue but the President is using all of his powers. all of the threats that he can make in terms of the legislative process and the Presidential involvement in it to try to prevent us from passing a meaningful immigration bill. It has reached the point today that during our negotiations. what President Clinton is doing is basically threatening to shut down the entire U.S. Government if we refuse to gut the immigration bill that passed with a substantial margin here in the House of Representatives. Those things that apparently are upsetting the President are that. he claims it is our restrictions on legal immigrants that he is upset with. The American people should understand. and I believe for the record that we should state that the restrictions on legal immigration that are now being discussed by the President and which he adamantly is opposed to deals with SSI. welfare. and Medicaid. The President of the United States is threatening to close down the Federal Government unless we take out our immigration reform bill provisions that prevent people who come here and never contributed to the system from immediately getting on the SSI. He is also worried about. for example. that we have restrictions to prevent people who come here from other countries. now. they are supposed to be healthy when they come here. they are supposed to be. and the idea is if someone comes here. that they do not become a ward of the State and that they do not drain money that is meant to be for the American people themselves. But the President wants us to take out a provision that permits people who come here from every other country. legally or not. from receiving Medicaid.
Identified stereotypes
People who come here from other countries are assumed to be unhealthy and a drain on resources.