CA: Immigration groups say anger over Bush plan to fuel rally in LA (No pleasing illegals Alert!)

Organizers expect several thousand people at an immigrant rights rally on Saturday, saying many illegal immigrants are angry about a White House plan that would grant them work visas but require them to return home and pay hefty fines to become legal U.S. residents.

Immigrant rights advocates say many of the area's illegal immigrants feel betrayed by President Bush, who they had long considered an ally.

"People are really upset," said Juan Jose Gutierrez, president of Los Angeles-based Latino Movement USA, one of several organizers of Saturday's rally. "For years, the president spoke in no uncertain terms about supporting immigration reform ... then this kind of plan comes out and people are so frustrated."

The White House's draft plan, leaked last week, calls for a new "Z" visa that would allow illegal immigrant workers to apply for three-year work permits. They would be renewable indefinitely, but would cost $3,500 each time.

To get a permit and become legal permanent residents, illegal immigrants would have to return to their home country, apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate to re-enter legally and pay a $10,000 fine.

The proposal has been sharply criticized by Hispanic advocacy groups, Democrats, the Roman Catholic Church and unions that have many immigrants in their ranks. They argue the cost of work permits and the green card application - which could total more than $20,000 - are prohibitive for low-wage earners.

The plan is far more conservative than the one passed by the Senate last year with bipartisan backing and support from President Bush. That plan would have allowed many of the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants to stay in the United States, work and apply to become legal residents after learning English, pay small fines and back taxes and clear a background check.

Many Senate conservatives opposed that plan, and it failed to gain traction in the then Republican-controlled House, which at the end of 2005 passed the punitive immigration reform bill that angered immigrant communities and led to massive protests.

This one? Thanks!

http://www.avpress.com/n/05/0405_s3.hts

Cost of illegals: $420 million in government aid

Excerpted

LOS ANGELES - Through their citizen children, illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County collect $420 million annually in welfare and food stamps, according to a report requested by 5th District County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services told the supervisor that payments to illegal immigrants’ children amount to approximately 24% of the county’s combined CalWORKS and food stamps budget, officials said.

“What we found was kind of astonishing,” said Tony Bell, an Antonovich aide.

Each month, the county doles out $77 million in CalWORKS assistance, $20 million of which goes to the citizen dependent children of illegal immigrants, said Helen Berberian, another Antonovich aide. CalWORKS is the state’s welfare-to-work program.

Along with CalWORKS assistance, the county approves $70 million every month in food stamps, with $15 million going to legal children of illegal immigrants, Berberian said.

The welfare payments go to nearly 100,000 children of 60,000 illegal immigrants, Antonovich’s staff said. His staff estimated that Los Angeles County has almost 12% of the United States’ illegal immigrant population.

The welfare payments are just a portion of the impact from illegal immigrants and their children, Antonovich said.

“Illegal immigration continues to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County taxpayers,” Antonovich said in a statement. “When the nearly one-half billion dollars spent on health care is added to the costs of public safety and health care, this brings the total cost to nearly $1 billion a year. This does not include the skyrocketing cost of education.”

According to Antonovich’s office, illegal immigrants annually cost the county $360 million in health care and $220 million in incarceration costs.

Does anyone in the GOP see the lose-lose inherent in lax enforcement?

We'll never be able to "give" enough to the open borders crowd to satisfy them. But we also lose the support of the pro-enforcement Americans--not only do we lose them, but this admin goes out of their way to openly insult the enforcement side.

I suspect that one of the Dem candis will come out for enforcement of our borders (with perfect insincerity) because he'll (she'll) he free to "move right"--whereas our side cannot move right. Pro-enforcement can be made to sound pro-underclass because of the wage depression and the exploitative nature of Whitey hiring an illegal at shamefully low wages. It just remains to be seen how the Dems can play it, and how smart Rahm really is.

Decline & Fall of the Roman (USA)Empire!

That’s what will happen to the USA unless politicians do the RIGHT THING enforce existing immigration laws FIRST get reelected LAST. The cultural time bomb clock is clicking

There only so many construction, lawn care, & fast food jobs.
When there gone its more TIME to do the CRIME!

Mason Dixon

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