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Originally Posted by irishgrl
Ryan, Illegal Immigrants are NOT eligible for benefits for THEMSELVES but if they have babies born here, they are brought in under various other programs, most notably Medi-Cal, WIC and School Lunch programs.
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So, it's the children who get Medi-Cal, not the parents? I keep trying to clarify this because it's important in my overall analysis of the situation. Health care for kids is way cheaper than for adults. So while it's one thing to say that all these anchor babies are getting Medi-Cal, it's another to say exactly how much that is costing us. I realize a lot of people, including you, think one dime is too much. I get that argument, but my take on the situation depends how much we are really spending overall.
I just saw a stat that says we spent $2.5 billion on Medicaid for illegal immigrants. Which, yes, is a lot of money that could be spent on other services, and at the same time is a drop in the bucket of the overall federal budget. Bush just cut Medicaid spending by double that in the Deficit Reduction Act.
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That is why we need to stop the flow of illegals, because their KIDS are going to cost us all a mint!
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I'm still not convinced that it will cost us a mint, but I'm still researching and analyzing. Data I've found shows the difference between costs related to providing benefits to illegal immigrants minus taxes paid by them to be $10 billion. I think that's about what we're paying per month for the Iraq War.
Not trying to compare funding illegal immigration with funding war, as I know many are against both, but I'm just trying to determine what
I consider to be a mint, especially when I weigh in the humanitarian factors.
Anyway, so you know, I have learned quite a bit and am considering factors that I hadn't thought about earlier, like the economic impact of having a massive influx of legalized people who are lesser educated. I just haven't had time to think it all through comprehensively.
I don't see it as black is black. I think it's gray. Laws can be amended if they aren't workable or appropriate. And forgiveness is part of a humanitarian response to many issues. The argument that they broke the law therefore they have to go is one that I just don't agree with.