Pirate's Cove

Legal immigrants too

Both immigrants and illegal aliens are more likely to be poor and to use welfare programs than native-born Americans because they come to the country with lower levels of education, according to a new study looking at U.S. Census Bureau data.

“The problem here is not work, or a lack of willingness to work; it’s not legal status; it’s educational level at arrival,” said Steven A. Camarota, research director for the Center for Immigration Studies, which is releasing the report today.

The public burden is a major issue, and it was one of the disputes, along with border security and increased enforcement, that helped kill the Senate immigration bill earlier this year.

Let me say right off the bat, I am not against legal immigration. Nor against those of lower education coming here. Lots of countries say “no thanks!” to these folks. What we need to do when we allow people to immigrate in these cases is provide some help in gaining education and work, because that is the type of helpful people Americans are.

I will say, I have met many, many legal immigrants in Raleigh, most of which are coming from Western African nations, and they have worked their butts off to make something of themselves. Also, they learned English.

Illegal immigrants, now, that is a problem. This whole idiocy with providing social services to people who came here is absurd. What else is there to say?

“Allowing in legal immigrants mainly based on family relationships, and tolerating widespread illegal immigration, certainly has very significant implications for social services, public schools and taxpayer services,” he said.

He said that makes sense — native-born Americans without a high-school education also are more likely to use welfare or to live in poverty. But he said that means that the burdens illegal aliens places on taxpayers can’t be solved through amnesty because it would not raise education levels.

The only thing that can be solved with amnesty is rewarding people who came here illegally with legal status. Oh, and BTW

Under Title 8 Section 1325 of the U.S. Code, illegal immigration is a federal crime. The code states: “Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under Title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under Title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.”

So, being an illegal is not a civil crime, as many have claimed.

Good news for North Carolinian’s wallets

North Carolina community colleges must accept illegal immigrants as students if they meet admission guidelines, according to a new policy.

Students without documentation must pay out-of-state tuition – about $7,400 for a full class-load at Wake Tech – which officials said would likely discourage many of them from applying.

The higher fees also would generate a $2,000 profit per illegal immigrant student for the community colleges, officials said.

Until some group sues to get the illegals in-state tuition, then it hits our pockets.

Looking at this issue, would it not be better to use those seats to help the legal immigrants increase their education? Even as a conservative, I would not mind giving tuition assistance to the legals. It is the charitable thing to do.