Because Truth Matters

I read some things yesterday–both here in comments on my blog, as well as on FB– that wasn’t accurate and I just wanted to share some facts regarding immigrants and their impact on our economy and taxes.

Quite often, unless someone is a lawyer, or works in immigration, we rely on media to give us facts. I did research last night with the help of an immigration attorney friend. These are federal laws, and different states (like California) may pass different laws.

1) Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for free healthcare in the United States. They are generally ineligible for federally funded programs, including: Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), Medicare, and ACA Marketplaces.

2) Illegal immigrants are not eligible for welfare benefits in the United States.

3) Illegal immigrants are not eligible for food stamps (SNAP). (However, certain lawfully present non-citizens may be eligible, including those with eligible immigration status.)

4) Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for housing assistance.

5) Illegal immigrants’ children are not eligible, either, not even DACA (or the Dreamers Act.)

However….

Undocumented immigrants have the right to a free public education in the United States. This is due to the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which prohibits public schools from charging tuition to children who are new arrivals in the country.

And illegal immigrants DO impact our taxes:

Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022. Most of that amount, $59.4 billion, was paid to the federal government while the remaining $37.3 billion was paid to state and local governments.

I am now going to get offline and write and create a lovely fictional world where everything works out happily in the end.  But I would be remiss not to care, passionately, about real human beings and the quality of their lives, whether citizens or undocumented immigrants.  Having read the Bible several times all the way through, and decades of Bible study classes, Christ’ message is very clear, as is the Old Testament on how one is to treat the foreigner.

Matthew 25:35

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me”.

Leviticus 19:33-34

“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself”.

I’ll be back tomorrow to talk about book stuff (the fun of bad boys) but until then, much much love.  May we have each others backs, may we walk in love, may we have hearts that are open to Him.