Rise in public benefits to children of illegal immigrants in L.A. County has supervisor 'very concerned'

Welfare payments to children of illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County increased in July to $52 million, prompting renewed calls from one county supervisor to rein in public benefits to such families.

The payments, made to illegal immigrants for their U.S. citizen children, included $30 million in food stamps and $22 million from the CalWORKS welfare program, according to Los Angeles County figures released Friday by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

The new figure represents an increase of $3.7 million from July 2009 and makes up 23% of all county welfare and food stamp assistance, according to county records.

Last year, welfare and food stamp issuances totaled nearly $570 million, an amount projected to exceed $600 million this year. In addition, county taxpayers spend $550 million in public safety -- mostly for jail costs -- and nearly $500 million for healthcare for illegal immigrants, Antonovich said.

“The supervisor is very concerned,” said Antonovich spokesman Tony Bell. “He believes we have an economic catastrophe on our hands.”

Shirley Christensen of the county Department of Public Social Services said the number of households with illegal immigrant parents and U.S. citizen children receiving welfare increased by 7% from January to June of this year.

“With the economy the way it is, a lot of people have had to avail themselves of programs they may not have needed before,” Christensen said. “Everyone is taking a hit, including undocumented immigrants.”

Amid continued economic gloom, debate has intensified over the public cost of providing benefits to illegal immigrants and their U.S. citizen children. In recent months, calls have grown for a constitutional amendment that would effectively deny citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants, whose numbers have increased from 2.7 million in 2003 to 4 million in 2008, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.

At present, U.S. citizenship is automatically granted to children born on U.S. soil. Last month, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced he might introduce a constitutional amendment to deny citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. Antonovich and several legal scholars, however, argue that a federal statute is sufficient to change the law.

But even some immigration hawks are wary of such a move. Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based research organization that supports immigration restrictions, said ending birthright citizenship would hurt children for their parents' misdeeds, require new federal registration systems and create other problems. The ultimate solution, he said, is to continue driving down illegal immigration with tough enforcement.

-- Teresa Watanabe

Comments

[whamo]

Most Americans with rational minds figured this out a long time ago. When is the government going to start deporting illegal immigrants and their anchor babies?

[execujet]

He is a Republican...Of course he will be "very concerned"

[raffello]

Send them all back to Mexico!!!!

[It's Unfair]

My wife and I are in the Food Stamps program. We are both U.S. citizens. What concerns me is the fact that I know people that know people that are Illegals and for some unknown fact, receive more than me and my wife (alot more!). keep in mind that I work and we are both enrolled in college. I pay my taxes, they don't; so why do we have to receive less than them??? thats my big question!! We have a broken welfare system!! and it needs to be fixed NOW!

[Orlando]

That right... And it will keep increasing... If i can only see the face of all these people who hate immigrants and blame them for everything... About denying birthright citizenship to these kids aint gonna happen.... So all of you so called "Americans" might as well get used to it because it aint gonna happen... So just keep living in hate and anger and keep blaming everything on immigrants since thats all you can do... Keep voting for your pimp-daddy-republicans and supporting them because all you will get will be empty promises... HA, HA!!! Suck on that!!!!

[kuruc]

what a f ed up country! illegals get paid for procreating. ameri kans are morons to allow this. no wonder the whole world wants to come here. what other "benefits" are the illegals getting? section 8, welfare, ssi, unemployment, does anyone check? does anyone CARE?

[Hillbilly]

The supervisor should be very concerned! This is why we have to change our laws, and not allow citizenship to children born of Illegal Aliens! I stress Illegal Aliens, they are not Immigrants! They broke the law coming here and now we are supporting them. Send them and their brats home!

[Rebel]

Yes! Yes! Where can I get some? Ehh.. Wait, I'm here legally. I'm certainly out of luck.....

[randy]

WHY?

[james]

My brother in- law from Mexico was married to my American sister then became an American citizen. That law changed. Now this one is next!

[US Citizen]

Why dont they break out the costs.
An illegal parents with three kids in school.
How much money, benefits, assistance and medical can they get for free.
It would be more than some hard working americans earn.
This would be for California, since this is where it article is pointing to.

[Suzie Q]

I guess you can't change the rules in the middle of the game! Being born here makes you a citizen.

[Bill Murray]

He believes we have an economic catastrophe on our hands.” Well DUH... You just now Believe it.....

[pastor]

what?? dont like the truth censors???

[peter wolf]

The Supervisors 'believes we may have a catastrophe on our hands' ? HAHAHAH !!! I've got some bad news: We ABSOLUTELY have a catastrophe on our hands. That's sure a lot of money to spend on future registered Democrats.

[Eric]

My God California, when the hell we going to wake up. No wonder we have a budget deficit as large as it is. LA county alone is paying 2 billion+ to illegals... THIS IS INSANITY. They are paying illegals while laying our employees... how does any of this make sense?????

[lisa]

I think it is down-right horrible and an economic disaster to pay-out welfare to undocumented families. So basically, I can come to the USA ...stay undocumented and collect from the US government...why go home...why fill out paperwork to become legal? OUr government is a mess...Obama ....you are giving amnesty already...this is so insulting to my me and my relatives who came from Mexico and Europe and became US citizens legally. Repeal all government hand-outs to the document individuals then lets see if America is that great.

[Dan L]

Well how about that? You just figured out that illegals cost you money. Duh!

[The Hawk]

No Country can survive by having an open immigration policy that lets ILLEGAL Immigrants take advantage of our services without paying for them. ILLEGAL immigrants will bankrupt us.

[THE DUDE]

WHO KNEW???? SHOCKING!!

[CountVonBrink]

I've heard of a lot of illegal immigrants smugly refer to their illegal kids as free money as they brag about their low cast "contracting" business. They will fix holes in your walls for less than a licensed and legal American and also collect welfare while Americans are getting ripped off in the amount of tax we pay.

[vincent]

We have to take care of our citizens 1st and foremost! Then, we have to take care of our state economy. We can't keep on raising tax to support illegals. It is time to change!

[ML]

they are just now worried about this problem???
where have they been? this shoulda been addressed many many years ago.
I hope its not too late to fix the problem.

[kanank]

These politicians sure know how to bankrupt our system so that they can stay in power to steal more of our tax money and give some of it to their ethnicity of illegal origin. It is time LA voters throw these bums out..Oh sorry, that will never happen. because whites and african americans have become a minority in LA county and their tax money will be given away to all these lazy illegal immigrant bums.

[Pugtv Sr]

Wow ... LA Times courting the right wingers?