Where do you stand on the proposed ballot initiative to end state benefits for illegal immigrants?

There is a proposal for a new California ballot initiative that would end public benefits for illegal immigrants, cut off welfare payments for their children and impose new rules for birth certificates.

"We will be out in full force to qualify this initiative," said Barbara Coe, who helped develop Proposition 187, the 1994 measure that would have ended benefits to illegal immigrants but was ruled unconstitutional. "Illegals and their children are costing the state billions of dollars. It's invasion by birth canal."

Supporters of the initiative, recently unveiled by San Diego political activist Ted Hilton, hope to challenge the citizenship of children born in the United States to parents who are here illegally.

Where do you stand on the issue? Feel free to comment below.

Photo: Ted Hilton launched a state ballot initiative against illegal immigrant parents and the anchor babies they deliver here, eliminating welfare for their children. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[RDP]

Passage of this initiative can't come soon enough for me or for California

[kooo]

If these initiatives survive the legal challenges, it will be more cost effective than building a physical border (which is badly needed anyway) and hiring a ton of border patrol agents (which is also badly needed).

[Jim]

Most legal citizens to not want to see their hard-earned tax dollars effectively stolen by illegal aliens - $4 -6 billion a year according to The Times. There illgals have a defiant sense of "entitlement," whose source is mystifying, since they are here illegally. It's about time that something is being done to stop the drain on our legally earned taxes, which are too high already.

[Taty.]

No. A U.S. citizen is entitled to benefits. It doesn't matter whether the parents are undocumented or not. I won't support it.

[Liz]

How many streams of letters and complaints do you need that would make the government listen to its people? THE GENERAL PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF PAYING TAXES FOR THE FEW RICH PEOPLE'S NEOSLAVES.
Now this rich people are pushing SotoMayor to be a judge, so they can use her race to strike against the will of the general AMerican majority.
We are tired, of the games you play, of working for you.

[Al in OC]

Where do I go to sign this petition? Stop all support, City, County, State and Federal, for all illegal aliens, ALL of them. Stop it now!

[Jay]

I am tired of paying for all these freeloaders. It is also high time that the school districts were permitted (they are not under Title IV) to ask for documentation.

If we cracked down on this problem, starting taking care of our own we would not have a budget crisis.

I am sick and tired the all the benefits that these freeloaders get. They should have NO rights under the constitution as they are not citizens.

[Supported]

Where should I send my money ? I will support this initiative.

[R. Poehlman]

Rather than trying to limit the rights of the foreign nationals in this country we should work toward reciprocal rights for Americans in foreign countries. Recognize the rights of Americans to live, work and own property in Mexico and Canada, Australia, etc. When other countries allow our citizens the same rights that they demand we extend to theirs perhaps we can achieve some balance.

[ash]

When I came here - legally - over 50 years ago, we could not ever become a burden upon the state. No hand-outs, no welfare, no medical, no nothing. Or we would be deported. We could not buy land or a home until we became a citizen, which took 5 yrs. I thought this was fair enough. What on earth has happened to make America so soft in the head? If you come here illegally, let alone have kids here illegally, you're on your own and bear the consequences. Of course, America no longer believes in consequences for ones actions, sorry, I forgot. But at some time in the future, America will recall bitterly that by supporting lack of responsibility for ones actions, in anything, she betrayed her citizens.

[I use to do it, I'm sorry]

I don't really blame the illegals for this mess, I blame all the state funded immigrant advocate groups who flood immigrant neighborhoods, Latino radio stations, churches, hospital, jails, clinics, and border towns with everything they need to start soaking social services. AFDC, WIC, SSI, MediCal, free-reduced lunch, you name it, we got them going with it. I know this because I use to volunteer for such an agency (I had to, long story).

Believe it or not, many of the immigrants weren't interested in all the social services available until we got to them and forced fed them that stuff. We use to come with forms, pens, cell phones, everything we needed to get people signed up and ready to go. We were able to convince the immigrants that they were entitiled to the services, and after awhile, many of them became dependant upon them.

If you don't think that there is massive waste of tax payer resources, and if you don't think illegal aliens are benefiting from it, then you are truly, truly mistaken.

[jj abrams]

about time

[Cathy]

It's about time! Unfortunately, this will not pass because the special interest groups such as Maldef and La Raza will lobby hard and fast for it's defeat.

Putting special interest groups aside, plus placating illegals to garner the Hispanic vote, a majority of US citizens want benefits for illegals and their US born children to stop now!

Wish Texas would do the same!

[Cecil Quick]

Thanks for the article. I was able to make a large donation on the CCIR website immediately.

[Amy]

Best idea yet to get us out of this financial mess.

[Jennifer]

Honestly, this is the change that we need! The system is set up in such a way that it encourages abuse by illegals. The system needs to change. The majority of people don't want illegals here...the government needs to start listening to the people. It's unconstitutional to expect AMERICANS to continue to pay!

[Ian]

This is no different than squating in your neighbors front yard and charging them child support.

[Robert D.]

Didn't the California Republican Party try this in 1994 under Proposition 187?
Isn't it widely known that Prop 187 caused an explosion in voter registration among Latinos? And isn't it true that California was once a politically competitive state, but has trended strongly Democratic (at both the state and federal levels) since the passage of Prop 187? So wouldn't it be wise for the California Republican Party to steer clear of this latest anti-immigration measure? That is, unless California Republicans want to unwittingly cause another dramatic increase in Latino voter registrations (while further alienating Latinos who already vote), which would virtually cement their status as a minority party?

[Finally]

IT IS ABOUT TIME. YES!!!!!!! I WILL DEFINITELY SUPPORT THIS INITIATIVE.

[Karl in Burbank]

We already passed this! Whatever. More of the same in the merry-go-round-broke down CA

[sloop]

Reading most of the above comments makes me fear for democracy.
and the proposition system.

Of course children deserve our support - they will live among us and
need all our help to become productive citizens.

[victor gonzales]

IT'S ABOUT TIME!

[brian clarke]

and while we are at it let's throw them all out of our country too!!! america needs to be for americans first!!!

[brian clarke]

the illegals sense of entitlement is mind boggling as well. where do they get off? i cant go to mexico and not pay taxes and receive medical, educational and living aid...nothing down there is in english. they wont even speak our language!!!!

[V]

Hopefully this will put an end to bad parenting... young undocumented illiterate women having three-five kids they can't afford and attend to, in order to ensure their immunity from deportation and eligibility for social programs. There in lies most of our social problems, at risk kids joining gangs, teenage pregnancies, school dropout, etc. It's a vicious cycle that needs to stop.