Her wellbeing will become the responsibility of the county. I am the first to acknowledge that prior to welfare reform. there was abuse of the SSI program in this country. Elderly noncitizens could collect SSI. even if they lived with their children. as long as they claimed to be financially independent from the children. And the number of noncitizens receiving SSI has skyrocketed at a disproportionate rate to that of citizens. The number of noncitizens collecting SSI increased 477 percent in 14 years. from 1980 to 1994. while the number of U.S. citizens receiving SSI increased 33 percent during that same period. Although I strongly support efforts to hold sponsors accountable for the support of legal immigrants they bring into the country. the welfare reform bill passed by Congress simply went too far. It banned SSI and food stamps for virtually all legal immigrants. even those whose sponsors cannot afford to support them. or who have no sponsors at all. The current welfare reform bill will not just eliminate fraudulent cases from the SSI rolls. It will eliminate truly needy people like the 73yearold elderly refugee. Surely. it was not the intent of this Congress to leave elderly. disabled. and destitute people with nowhere to go to except county relief or the streets. If we do not revise the welfare ban for legal immigrants the financial costs to States and counties will be enormous. and the human toll even greater: Los Angeles County estimates that 93.000 legal immigrants in its county will lose SSI benefits at a cost of up to $236 million a year to the county. San Francisco estimates that 20.000 legal noncitizens may turn to the countys general assistance program. at a total cost of up to $74 million annually. I believe this body must finish what it started last year. In this time of budgetary constraints where tough choices have to be made. we must act with prudence and compassion toward those who truly have no one to turn to. while at the same time preserving portions of the savings needed to balance the budget and enact meaningful reform.
Identified stereotypes
Elderly noncitizens could collect SSI, even if they lived with their children, as long as they claimed to be financially independent from the children.