Posted on 08/22/2012 3:57:03 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano are mum on why the legal requirements that immigrants and visa applicants not be reliant on government assistance have been watered down, according to some lawmakers.
The deadline for Clinton and Napolitano to respond to a letter regarding admission of immigrants on or likely to be on assistance programs from senior Republicans on the Budget, Judiciary, Finance, and Agriculture Committees came and passed Monday.
On Tuesday Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee, blasted the pair for their failure to comply.
“It is unacceptable that Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Clinton have not seen fit to respond our oversight letter,” Sessions said in a statement. “It is a sound principle of immigration law that those who come to our country should be able to take care of themselves financially, yet this legal requirement has effectively been waived. Under their agencies’ guidelines, an able-bodied, working-age immigrant could receive the bulk of his or her income in the form of federal assistance and still not be deemed welfare-reliant.”
The concerns that Sessions, Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley, Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch, and Agriculture Committee ranking member Pat Roberts have is the government’s interpretation of federal regulations prohibiting legal admittance of immigrants “likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence.”
As the senators detailed in their letter sent on Aug. 6, immigrants can avail themselves of dozens of welfare programs at the time of their application and after without the government deeming them a dependency risk, or so-called “public charge.”
Food stamps benefits, housing benefits, energy assistance, child care services and many other programs are all inadmissible when determining an immigrant’s risk of public dependency, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
“[G]uidance from your agencies specifically prevents consular and DHS officials from considering the likelihood that an alien will receive SNAP benefits, WIC payments, Medicaid, child-care benefits, foster care, energy assistance, educational assistance, other medical and health benefits, and assistance from at least fifteen different nutritional welfare programs,” the senators wrote in their letter. “This interpretation of the law, along with the actions of the USDA to recruit new immigrants to sign up for SNAP benefits, undermines both congressional intent and sound immigration policy.”
In their initial request, the senators hoped to uncover the justification behind disqualifying a slew of welfare programs from consideration of an immigrant’s public charge risk, the number of visa applicants and applicants for admission denied because of that risk, the number of visa applicants and applicants for admission granted admission despite a dependency risk, the number of immigrants admitted that later became dependent on the government for subsistence (all between 2001-2011), and if the information is unavailable, an explanation as to why it is not tracked.
“More than 100 million people in the U.S., including foreign nationals, are currently receiving some form of federal welfare,” Sessions added. “Yet despite these historic figures, the Administration is aggressively trying to boost the welfare rolls among non-citizens. USDA has even entered into a partnership with the Mexican government to expand enrollment in food stamps and the fourteen other welfare programs administered by that agency. Actions like this threaten the core premise of American immigration.”
According to the senator, there is no reason why these answers are not forthcoming.
“Our reasonable request for information should be easily met,” he added. “The American people have a right to know and I intend to pursue the matter vigorously.”
A State Department spokesman told The Daily Caller they are working on the request.
“We can confirm that we have received the letter and are diligently working to provide a response as soon as possible,” the spokesman told TheDC.
DHS did not immediately responded to TheDC’s request for comment.
This "Strong" statement is as far as the Republican "leadership" will go in addressing the dumbocrats typical stonewalling tactics. 0bama's people know nothing will become of the noncompliance, other then the Repubs stomping their feet, holding their breath, and other silly non punitive actions.
Where's Romney on this issue?
Easiest winning issue for Republicans. It relates directly to the economy. All the dem lies can’t disguise the fact that illegals suck wealth from the system as well as depress wages. Second the fact is they come here illegally. Again nobody can hide that fact by parsing and calling them undocumented. Polls show this issue actually crosses party lines. Plenty of support from the left for this as well.
True, but this article appears to be about LEGAL IMMIGRANTS that Big Sis and Hillary are allowing to come here even if they will be welfare parasites! The other half of the coin.
This was all over the news last night.....NOT
well according to sessions they’re not really legal. They don’t meet the standards. They are qualified but not legal until they can support themselves.
In your face Cloward-Piven strategy.
This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.
Michigan ACLU chapter wants citizenship check box off voter registration forms
Facts of Shipley case lead to some conclusions, much speculation(Gunwalker)
Immigrants protest 'illegal' label
AG Ken Cuccinelli: US DOJ clears new Virginia voter ID law
Unlikely Bedfellows on Immigration Reform
Immigration one of the few sticking points in GOP platform
Mexico chalks up success in health-care reforms
SoFla Immigrant 1st To Have Bracelet Removed [Media Hyped ILLEGAL AMNESTY, calls it American Dream]
Dems let the suck-ups in the press speak for them... we don't have that option.
Does the welfare office ask to see proof of legal immigration such as a green card? Of course not, that would be..............racial profiling!
Another aspect to this is the charities such as the Lutherans and Catholic Charities that bring Muslim “refugees” to this country and then bring them right to the welfare office. Every “refugee” that receives welfare should cost these charities the cost of welfare that they received from the taxpayers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.