Get the facts straight about immigration
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Lisa Johnson-Firth
Published: May 6, 2008
In light of Mr. Stewart’s recent actions to solicit support from the public for his “rule of law” resolution, I would like to encourage the board to be vigilant about getting the facts concerning immigrants in Prince William County. For instance, there has not been a decrease in serious crime because most of the immigrants detained were picked up for minor traffic violations.
It does not take a two-year study to see that the resolution has already had a drastically negative impact on the county and the rule of law under the Constitution. We now have ghost neighborhoods, school and ESL classes down in attendance, increased community fear and home foreclosures, 40 to 80 percent business drop-offs for some business owners, increased hate-speech rhetoric, police due process violations, anecdotal evidence of profiling and the building of negative perceptions.
There are also new family issues to grapple with.
For those of us raising children, it becomes challenging to teach the concept of “love your neighbor as yourself” when the next door neighbor is being deported or is fearfully fleeing.
Even at this early stage, it should be evident to the board that the resolution was ill-guided and must be rescinded or, at the least, suspended, while the board conducts hearings and solicits expert testimony and studies. An easy solution would be to recognize current federal and state laws supporting immigration enforcement, including the recent 287(g) agreements between ICE and the Prince William County police and sheriff’s office, and the Prince William-Manassas Adult Detention Center.
LISA JOHNSON-FIRTH
Immigration & Human Rights Law Group, PLLC
Manassas
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Reader Reactions
Posted by ( PWCMom ) on May 07, 2008 at 7:23 pm
People, and it is only going to get worse in January with the new administration. All three candidates are for amnesty and allowing illegals to stay and get benefits. We are in for a really rocky road.
I would really like to know if all the people advocating for the illegals are stepping up to the plate and letting them live in THEIR homes, eat THEIR food and use THEIR health insurance, all without reimbursement?
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Posted by ( Chemwiz ) on May 07, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Well, there is much to address here. First of all, the “love your neighbor as yourself” is nice. We should all love our neighbors, but we don’t have to love what our neighbors do, right? If my neighbor commits a crime, the bible teaches that I should still love him, but not his crime. I don’t love the fact the illegals are living in my neighborhood…they broke the law and there are consequences for their actions. Also, there are consequences to U.S. citizens who allow them to stay and I’ll mention a few:
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens
each year.
2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs
such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens.
4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school
education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of
English!
5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the
American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies.
6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens.
7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens.
8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare &
social services by the American taxpayers.
9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused
by the illegal aliens.
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that’s
two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular,
their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in
the US.
11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens
that crossed our Southern Border, also as many as 19,500 illegal
aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine,
meth, heroine and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern
border.
12. The National Policy Institute, ‘estimated that the total cost of
mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average
cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period.‘
13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back
to their countries of origin.
14. ‘The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex
Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United State s ‘.
The total cost is a whopping $ 338.3 BILLION DOLLARS per YEAR Are we THAT stupid???
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Posted by ( T Dawg ) on May 07, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Barnun,
See my post from 10:47am and you will see the massive amounts of ‘confiscated’ drugs in FY 2005 from ONLY the Texas Mexican border by authorities. Factor in the estimated 80% to 90% of drugs that were not seized and it tells you how these illegals want to ‘love their neighbor’.
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Posted by ( cobra ) on May 07, 2008 at 3:26 pm
mmarin,
Let me explain to you the intention of the 14th amendment. It was intended to make sure that slaves were given citizenship after the civil war vice sending them back to Africa. It was not intended to be a defacto immigration method to allow illegal alien mothers to come here and take advantage of the system. It is also clear that children of Foreign Diplomats will not be granted US Citizenship if their parents are serving in the US. I’m not advocating sending them back while in labor but that child should be a Mexican Citizen and their government should bare the responsibility not the American tax payer. Had a conversation with one of my Hispanic Neighbors a year so ago about why I don’t see the American Flag flying in front of their house. This is the same person who always is quick to tell me her kids are American Citizens. Her response on the flag was that it was not the flag of her country so she was not obligated. I responded that it was the flag of her children’s country. Of course she had nothing to say after that. We have millions of children now growing up in the US whose parents will pledge allegiance to Mexico first and the US second. This country is going to hell fast and no thanks to people like you who care more for illegal alien foreigners then you do for your own countrymen. Again, it’s ok for us to shell out thousands of dollars to illegal alien mothers but we cry like babies when our tax’s go up $180.00. Man the Traitors are out today in PW County. Heres a story from Los Angeles about the costs of welfare for illegals in just this one county in California. This is going on in small town America and we are fighting back. We do not want that mess here on the east coast. The numbers are staggering and no wonder California is going broke. Is this what you want in PW County??
According to new data from the Department of Public Social Services, nearly twenty five percent of Los Angeles County ’s welfare and food stamp benefits goes directly to the children of illegal aliens, at a cost of $36 million a month—for a projected annual cost of $432 million.
“The total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers far exceeds $1 billion a year – not including the millions of dollars for education,” said Antonovich. “With $220 million for public safety, $400 million for healthcare, and $432 million in welfare allocations, illegal immigration continues to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County taxpayers.”
In March, illegals collected over $19 million in welfare assistance and over $16 million in food stamp allocations.
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Posted by ( cobra ) on May 07, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Another story for those that are so concerned about their tax’s being raised. This is why PW County had no choice but to crack down on illegal immigration before it we went bankrupt. Below story is about Los Angeles. What a sad state of affairs for our Golden State. Can’t wait for the the apologist on this site to spin this story.
Supervisor says county spends more than $1 billion a year on benefits to illegals.
According to new data from the Department of Public Social Services, nearly twenty five percent of Los Angeles County ’s welfare and food stamp benefits goes directly to the children of illegal aliens, at a cost of $36 million a month—for a projected annual cost of $432 million.
“The total cost for illegal immigrants to County taxpayers far exceeds $1 billion a year – not including the millions of dollars for education,” said Antonovich. “With $220 million for public safety, $400 million for healthcare, and $432 million in welfare allocations, illegal immigration continues to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County taxpayers.”
In March, illegals collected over $19 million in welfare assistance and over $16 million in food stamp allocations.
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Posted by ( barnun ) on May 07, 2008 at 2:56 pm
no one has ever posted the estimated cost of the illegal drug trade and all that goes with it. Our youth that gets hooked on drugs that have come over our southern borders. The cost of the police nationwide dealing with the gangs and the criminal element affects of the drug world. The money spent on the rehab centers around our nation. Ms Firth, tell your kids to just say NO.
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Posted by ( mmarin ) on May 07, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Cobra,
Regardless of the entry of the mother or father that illegal has given birth to a citizen of this country and that new citizen has rights.
You hold a person accountable for thier own acts, not the sins of the mother or the father.
Cobra, have you read the Constitution? Do you believe it? Look at the preamble and the 14th Amendment for a refresher.
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Posted by ( cobra ) on May 07, 2008 at 2:13 pm
If you guys care so much about government revenue then why don’t you lobby congress to do away with emergency medicaid that pays for the birth for children of illegal immigrants. CBS ran the story two weeks ago about this very same issue in Texas. These illegal alien woman cross the border for one purpose and that is to make sure the kid is born here so that he is an American Citizen. They interviewed one doctor that said some of the womans cloths are still wet from crossing the river. In one case they had to perform a c-section which costs us taxpayers $4700.00 but it does not stop there. This mother was given an entry card which allows her to return the US with her child to get free medical care and other assistance. So what is your take on that situation? This is costing us taxpayers millions of dollars each year and you guys cry about your tax bill rising by $180.
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Posted by ( hacenedb ) on May 07, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Where do we check the status of the new immigrants to our country? Who is in charge of immigration? Who has the funds to deal with the issue in an effective manner? The answer is the federal government. The rest are just politically motivated agitations. Our BOCS has decided to get involved with immigration while relegating the residents burning matters to a second level. Profiling and matters thereof are to be avoided at all costs. We do not like to wait for evidence, we must ascertain that profiling will never see the light of the day. When are we going to let each branch of the government do its job without interference from tiny jurisdictions like PWC. Our representatives are substantially deviating from their mandate and are spending our taxes on a resolution whose long term effects on our community are devastating. In the meanwhile, BOCS is disengaging from the real daily urgencies required by our schools, transportation, and other more relevant issues. Nothing is benefiting the community from this resolution, and everything is adversely affecting us from divisiveness, hate, and prejudice, to frustration. Hierarchy of the rule of law dictates that we let our federal authorities and the Congress deal with immigration issue. It is their domain not the domain of PWC. What do we expect next? An independent foreign policy for PWC!
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Posted by ( RonCharest ) on May 07, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Thank you for this letter Lisa. We need more people standing up and speaking the truth, instead of the emotional fear-mongering and hysteria that is being used to justify racism.
To the people mocking Ms Johnson-Firth’s use of “Love Thy neighbor,“ I’d point out that the Ten Commandments have no fine print qualifying, providing exceptions, or otherwise offering legal loopholes. The commandments are absolute. Among the many things that I find amazing about Conservatives (a very long list indeed) are their demands that the Ten Commandments be placed in every public place possible. Then those same Conservatives totally ignore the Ten Commandments whenever they’re not convenient to follow.
Amazing - not.
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