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

[zuma]

The 14th Amendment is not being enforced as it was intended to be!

The intent of the Amendment was to give former slaves and their children born here citizenship. It did not give American Indans born here citizenship or anyone else!

Liberals have twisted the intent of the Constitution to meet their needs and have failed to uphold the rule of law and the people have done nothing to protect their Constitution. Is it no wonder Americans dont trust their govt!

[Louweegie272]

So the County is alerting the people of a crisis with catastrophic consequences, calls for a solution of "tougher enforcement of immigration law" but does nothing to say who will do the enforcing. We still have Special Order 40, we still are a sanctuary city. What will change? Who will change it?

[Common Sense]

ALL welfare recipients are leeches on the system (legal, illegal, and US citizens alike). We must end welfare for everyone. If you want to have children, then you pay for them! (We should also require parents to pay for the public education of their own children.)

[ZOO]

California should be pitied. The majority of residents know what to do, but the morons they put in public office derail them at every turn. Arguably, California is our most beautiful, valuable state in the union. With over 20 other states rushing to adopt the Arizona-style law, there is not a peep out of the California legislature or big city governments, except to denounce and BOYCOTT Arizona for having a pair. I don't believe that the state can be resusitated without an all out war against "benefactors." I would start targeting the Hollywood and political elite who hold their powdered azzez out to be the "concious of humanity" and ultimately sway public opinion against delousing the state of the illegal cockroach infestation.

I would impose a special state tax (to pay for these illegal alien life-sucking programs) of 50 percent on all individual income over $200,000 a year. Then we'll see just how long these "wonderful voices of justice" cheer the invasion and block any action to stop and reverse it. When it has been determined (by auditing welfare roles) that the majority of invaders have left the state, the special tax could be eliminated - but not one minute before.

[PortTabacco]

And we all wonder why Mexicans risk their lives to get here!
Everythings free in America------Only to Mexican illegals!

[Pizzedoff]

I can't wait for this topic to spool up with whinny, runny-nose, sniveling; "oh, BUT they're just CHILDREN... they didn't do anything wrong... etc., etc., etc., blah, blah liberal bleeding heart socialist-emo comment!
Let's not even bring Section 8 federally subsidized housing into this mix, A.K.A., the Mexican national health-care/welfare 'plan'. It works kinda’ like this:
Embarazadas Mexicana (pregnant Mexican), 8 months, 28 days ripe waddles/floats/scrambles across the river/border; grabs a cab; first stop ANY nearby American hospital; pop out beibi/sustantivo's (MORE than one); (enter the social welfare agency): "God forbid, we can't have brand spanking new Amexican-by-default beibi/sustantivo's living in the streets..."(agency gives referral to); predominately Hispanic staffed housing authority; predominately Hispanic staffed housing authority bumps (NOW) Madre Mexicanos ilegales (ILLEGAL Mexican mother) and beibi/sustantivo's tribe to the top of the wait list (in violation of Sec. 8 HUD rules), ahead of elderly and crippled Amerikan CITIZENS (who wait YEARS for such Sec. 8 vouchers); hands Madre Mexicanos ilegales her expedited housing voucher; Madre Mexicana settles in, uses welfare grants to decorate apartamento, uses cupones de alimentos (food stamps) to stock up the 'fridge, uses welfare paid cell phone to call la familia, and la bola (misc. other friends) in Mexico, lets them know the new crash pad is ready and waiting their illegal arrivals (PLURAL); One more 2 bedroom, 2 bath TAXPAYER PAID apartamento falls conquered to the Mexican health-care/welfare invasion... "viva la fiesta"..."viva la revolución".
“God bless Amerika… huh?

[A United States Marine]

But Arnold said illegal immigrants are not a monetary drain on society!How much does a loaf of bread and some lunch meat
cost?Illegals are nothing but tapeworms!

[A United States Marine]

Just enforce existing laws,deport illegal aliens!

[Michael Ramirez]

Time to recall our Mayor and City Counsel for leading these redicules polyices.

[DavidArizona]

Still laughing in Arizona!
Viva SB1070

[ll lowell]

Deport the CHILDREN & THEIR PARENTS. No child born on american soil is a citizen if hospitals and city, cty and state govts do not issue birth certificates and record their birth with State vital stats dept. IF you deny them benefits, education and jobs they will leave.

[ll lowell]

Deport the CHILDREN & THEIR PARENTS. No child born on american soil is a citizen if hospitals and city, cty and state govts do not issue birth certificates and record their birth with State vital stats dept. IF you deny them benefits, education and jobs they will leave.

[MaryA]

I don't want to pay for anchor babies any longer! I'm sick of rewarding illegal aliens who pop out anchor babies while the taxpayers suffer! This is irresponsible and wrong! This is another reason the Dems are going down in November. We need to protect our borders (Bush didn't do so well on this subject, either) and imprison/fine employers of illegals. We need to protect jobs for Americans and we need to stop paying illegals to come to this country and pop out babies! ENOUGH!!

[jake van kool]

WHEN ?? OH WHEN will the RACISTS WAKE UP !?!?!

For all of those who say that illegals are a net loss, let's do the math,
shall we ?

Ok, let's say the average illegal earns $10 an hour. Well, that's $19,200
a year.

And let's say this illegal has three kids that cost $7,000 a year to teach
in the State of California.

That's $21,000 a year, right ?

Now, even though the illegal pays no taxes, any intelligent and THINKING
"progressive" can understand that we are actually benefiting here !!

Oh, and here's the part where the racists will mention the free breakfasts and lunches and WIC vouchers and free Medi Cal !!

Well, I for one am sick and tired of these racist and their numbers and their
seeming ability for arithmetic !!

The undeniable fact is that it is economically prudent to pay $21,000 ++ for an illegal who generates $19,200 annually and pays no taxes.

And anyone who says that's untrue is....a RACIST !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TheBigPicture]

Vote out all democrats...the GOP will change the laws making the illegal's kids born here "illegal"...They will get zero benefits...and they'll be shipped out of here...

They can apply to return through the legal process if they have no criminal record...

[Bobby]

The United States founding fathers and other far-seeing Americans of that time, warned Americans that any involvment of the U.S. with Mexico would mean the utter ruination of the United States. That is now occuring because of the many traitors we have in power in this country. Drug cartels taking over national forests, I.D. theft, home invasion robberies, rape, murder, and mayhem, with more to come.

[Brenda]

There should be a law that all people coming to America legal or illegal should join the military if they want to stay. What a small price too pay for freedom and a good life. If they don't want too sign up, don't let them in. As for the children born here of illegals, send them back with their parents and when they become 18 they can claim their citizenship. I'm tired of paying for people I can't claim on my tax return, after all they are my dependents by the way of our taxes, with all the benefits. They know the system better than a average American. Also check their passports, they travel more than an average American born here.

[Obbop]

Read the racist bigoted xenophobic brown-people-hating likely card-carrying KKK members unwilling to allow the brown people of the world to enter the USA as they please and grace the USA with the diversity that "makes us strong" and blesses us with the multi-culturalism that has proven its worth is so many locales such as Iraq, Sri-Lanka, the Punjab area, Mindanao Philippines, Palestine/Israel and other diverse areas so full of peace and prosperity.

[Henry]

I don't see this as a problem. Just raise homeowners property taxes to 90% of base value, Increase the sales tax from 10% to 85%. Increase business taxes by 50%, Give all elected officials a 100% pay increase.

And any other way you can find to take from the productive and give to the non productive.

Hey, it is a Socialist country - look who we keep electing.

[Dee Turner]

I read the other day that within 3 years, half the babies born in the U.S. will be Latino. We shouldn't complain. Who cleans your house? Who takes care of your lawn? So long as we hire them, they will come. The U.S. just can't seem to survive without a slave-labor class.

Within your lifetime, this great nation will be just another Mexico. Nobody wants to pay their fair share of taxes; everybody feels above the law; nobody knows driving regulations, or bothers to follow them.

The 14th Amendment was created after the Constitution became the law of the land, to ensure citizenship for freed slaves. Its purpose has been served; new legislation is required. Perhaps children should have the citizenship of their mothers, or have at least one legal parent who's lived here a determinate, provable amount of time. Other countries are struggling with this issue: Germany, France, Japan, Israel. Their problems & ideas should be examined.

If some are paid or receive benefits by disobeying or ignoring the rule of law, how can we prosecute anyone--including corrupt government officials and corporate thieves? Clearly, we must choose another path, and soon.

[JL]

52M for ILLEGAL children?
Throw them out of our country now, we cannot afford to pay for real citizens much less illegal anchor latinos. Please!

Where is MY free healthcare and free food?

The LA time is so sweetly liberal it makes my teeth hurt.