Tough new state immigration laws are striking fear in the hearts of illegal immigrants with American-born children.
“I worry about my children,” says one father of two young kids in Carrollton, Georgia. He didn't want to give his name, because he has no legal right to reside in the United States. “My kids were born here. What will happen with them? We don’t know, and that’s the fear we have.”
Georgia, like Alabama, Arizona and Utah, recently passed a tough immigration law.
The longer Congress waits to deal with immigration reform, the louder states seem to scream for action. According to the National Conference of Legislatures, an all-time high of 1,538 bills dealing with immigrants and refugees have been introduced in state legislatures this year alone. These measures include things like employment verification requirements for businesses and restrictions on public health services and college access for illegal immigrants. But the most worrisome for many parents are those giving local law enforcement more power to do federal immigration checks.
“Don’t worry!" is a message Atlanta immigration lawyer Charles Kuck gives his clients all day long. He’s one of those challenging the Georgia law’s constitutionality in federal court.
“These laws are bad, and they’re going to have a tremendous effect on the community. But for now we say, ‘Calm down.’ This law is meant to silence people, and we have to at this time not be silenced. We have to be vocal and not shut up.”
But for parents who fear separation from their American children, it’s easier said than done. About 2.5 million families in the U.S. have undocumented immigrant parents and American-born children, according to the Pew Hispanic Center's Jeff Passel.
“I’m planning to move to Miami, where I have some family,” says one undocumented mother of three who lives in Georgia. “But they tell me that the law is also being considered there.”
State lawmakers acknowledge many of these bills are meant to send a message to Washington.
“This problem is never going to be solved completely until the federal government deals with it,” says Georgia Republican State Rep. Matt Ramsey, author of the Georgia immigration bill.
So far, Washington has shown little reaction to states' enacting immigration bills. “The drive for comprehensive immigration reform has shown unsuccessful,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, told the Atlanta Press Club on May 20.
Two weeks earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the club only that that she didn’t like a patchwork of states taking on immigration reform.
As federal immigration reform languishes, undocumented immigrant parents of American children gain time. If they can avoid deportation until their firstborn turns 21, that child can apply for his or her parent’s legal status.
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Tell you what. All you illegals go back to your country for a year. Then you will see how NOT lazy us TRUE AMERICANS are. Why do you come here anyway? Can't you fix your own problems in your country? It's so easy to say you can't so you come here and pass your problem on to us Americans. Seems kind of lazy to me and selfish. Us LEGAL AMERICANS must make up for your short comings. I paid a lot last year in TRUE TAXES (ie: having to file paperwork with the IRS by April 15). Did you file???
Do you have car insurance in the US? Who pays for that when you don't? We do! TRUE AMERICANS DO! You are taking food out of the mouths of my children because I have to pay for what you don't provide in not having car insurance or filing a tax return every year.
One last thought. How much have these illegals contributed in money or time to help the people of Joplin after the tornado? Or the floods in the midwest? Given the choice, I would rather have MY TAX DOLLARS go to help those TRUE AMERICANS who are suffering through these disasters rather than paying for health care or anything for people that don't even make an effort to obtain true American citizenship.
ARE WE REALLY THAT STUPID?
Strange that those Georgia farmers are not saying that when an illegal worker falls sick;
he transports him/her to the emergency room? This could be the same crisis that would hit Utah,
if the Guest Worker program materialized in the Mormon State? That means his liability
to the sick/injured Guest Worker is void and becomes the financial burden of the US taxpayer
whilst the hospital passes on the fee. Then we have the children of the agricultural workers
who taxpayers are forced by the judiciary to support their education. Then under the 14th amendment
a female when a baby is born becomes an instant citizen collecting cash payments,
food stamps low income housing and free natal care. All this cost is assumed from your taxes
and is in the hundreds of billions a year. Outside of farm workers are the economic illegal
aliens who come here to have their babies, and place an unimaginable strain on our schooling system.
But this is just part of the layers upon layers of foreigners, who are indirectly stealing tax
payer’s money.
Another great fraudulent game is illegal nationals, paying nothing into the tax system,
but collecting up to $5,600 dollars per household. More than one in four immigrant households
received the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2009—nearly twice the 13.2 percent rate
of households headed by Native Americans. And since immigrant households are larger
(primarily because of higher fertility rate), their EITC payments are larger
than those received by citizens and naturalized citizen households.
“The Earned Income Tax Credit and Illegal Immigration:
A Study in Fraud, Abuse, and Liberal Activism”, by financial analyst and
economist Edwin Rubenstein. This is not a myth, but fact about the
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is the largest anti-poverty program in the United States,
which is the “most illegal-immigrant friendly,” explains Edwin Rubenstein, author of the new report.”
In 2007, more than 23 million households received more than $47 billion in the EITC payments.”
He Rubenstein said “between one-quarter to one-third of all EITC claims are
‘improperly paid’ according to the General Accounting Office. The EITC – like most of the tax code,
operates on the honor system. The U.S. Congress allows and supports one of the most fraudulent
taxpayer misuse schemes ever conceived within the Federal Government. It’s time the administration
eradicated this program, allowing millions of aliens who entered American soil, while draining
billions out of the United States Treasury. Tax relief” goes to people who never paid a cent in taxes,
and may have already defrauded the government of huge sums each year. Bring this abuse to the attention
of your Federal, State politicians about this fraud which illegal aliens are stealing from you.
Expenditures of more than $55 billion per year, is a combination
of EITC spending that is associated with traditional welfare programs.
for all you Americans who call yourselves "Christians" or "Followers of Christ" let me share you some words of his own: "But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. " -James 2:9.
and when you pledge to your flag you say "one nation under GOD" ha its the land of the hipocrites
Illegal aliens have not pay any dues of America, they did nothing but sabotage millions of American employment! They are being so allow to just implement all their wrongdoings in America, they know how to make many people feel so sorry for them so much until, their over population is being ignored, them sneakily conquering America from Americans is being ignored! them using our American birthrights for their on sneaky amnesty for millions of their children alone, is being ignored by our American lawmakers, politicians, our own president, federal laws, and others!
Illegal aliens should not be allow to use their American born children to get their free ticket to America! Our American birthright law are being strongly taken advantage of by them for their automatic ticket to stay in America, they use it to help stop millions of their own deportations that are really due to them! They use their children so people can feel sorry for them! Them using their children to get what they want in America is all part of all their schemes and scams of America, it helps them to get their way, regardless how they hurt Americans, all of what they do is being very ignored by our own politicians! Illegal immigration has weaken many of our own American politicians! Our own politicians have allow illegal immigration to get out of control, so much until now illegal immigration and Mexico are actually controlling America!!! so much until our own politicians along with illegal immigration are just spitting and walking all over Americans! Illegal immigration have already ruined Americans legal status in their own country! America is lost with illegal immigration! Our American status no longer means anything!!!
To ADMINISTRATOR#
2005-2006 graduation rates in Texas:
All Students: 65%
Asian: 85%
White: 76%
Hipanic: 56%
African American: 53%
Your comments dont support the facts..which are the official stats. Hispanics in TX, many are illegal aliens are children of illegals have a poor high school graduation rate...I believe this translates nationwide.
It's so easy to push the children to the front of the picture to pull at peoples heart strings.....Illegal is Illegal. The parents should have started the paperwork process to become US citizens. What are they teaching thier children.....how to take advantage of a weak minded population. I'm not saying we have closed boarders....I'm saying we need to stick by the established process and require ALL to follow the rules that have been set. Else, I'll just stop paying my taxes....stop paying insurance, stop giving a Damb about this country and use it like a dish rag and through it away when I'm done using it. It frustrates all honorable citizens who do what is right...even when no one is looking.....because we have character.....we what others to develop a strong character and help make this country great again.....not just a country of limp old men.
We need to treat this country like we do our own homes.. I don't leave my doors open for anyone to enter and use my home without my knowledge or contributing to maintaining the household. Why do weak minded liberals think it's ok for america to leave its doors open for anyone to enter and use our resources....without contributing to the benefit of our society.
Notice the guy is holding car keys in his hand? He is obviously driving without insurance. I think any reporter should be charged with aiding an illegal immigrant. Deport immediately back to his country. The kids can go with their parents.
On the CNN quick vote today, "Should Congress give children of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship through military service or college education?".....CNN, what kind of question is this? I was born in the U.S. from an illegal parent, this makes me a U.S. Citizen! I don't have to join the military & I didn't have to get a college education, just like every other person born in the U.S..
I don't feel sorry for the children of illegal aliens. They can go home to the "home country" with their law breaking parents. Maybe when they get there they can ask their own government for free education, free lunch, free breakfast, free medical, welfare, tax free illlegally obtained income, food stamps, and federal housing! Oh yeah, that's only available here – that's why they came. If they go back to where they came from they'd have to actually work and pay their way – like Americans do and people who came here legally. I suppose also that all the flag waving illegal aliens don't understand that if Obama gets his way, he's only fooling them to get their vote. If they become "legal", their income will be taxed and they will have to register for work to receive food stamps and cooperate with child support laws.
I do not understand why people should have sympathy for the guy in this story ? The illegal father definitely could bring his kids back to his home country and raise them over there. He has that choice, REMEMBER ?
I am so fed up to see illegals everywhere every corner in this country. We should need laws like in alabama in every state.
With amnesty, they could legally obtain insurance, medical, auto, etc...and they could PAY TAXES...just a thought.
I agree... If you break our laws we still provide health care and educations for your childern? What has happened to this country? Business owners hiring these people should be put in jail. If you wish to live in this country, then wailt in line with everyone else. Just because you had a child in this country, does not make you an American. Time for you to go home.