Land of the free? Senator says immigration stats show welfare rules not enforced

[Obama Tells Military To Fire On American Citizens]

Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions is accusing the Obama
administration of failing to enforce a century-old law meant to
prevent immigrants from taking root in the U.S. only to live on
the government dole -- after the administration reported it did
not cite anyone for this last year.

"Virtually no one one is being examined before they enter the
country on whether or not they'll ... immediately begin to
depend on government welfare," Sessions, R-Ala., top Republican
on the Senate Budget Committee, told Fox News.

As Congress weighs new immigration legislation, Sessions said
any reform package "has got to end that."

Sessions turned up new statistics from the Department of
Homeland Security last week showing what he describes as a
startling trend. DHS reported how relatively few immigrants are
being turned away on the grounds that they are likely to become
a "public charge" -- or individuals who depend on welfare
programs -- despite a 100-year-old law that's supposed to
prevent this.

The department, blaming "data entry quality," said it did not
have complete information on how many immigrants became public
charges. But the department did a case-by-case review for the
bulk of fiscal 2012, and found just one where that claim was
leveled at an immigrant. "However, the charge was later
withdrawn," DHS reported.

Further, the department reported that just a tiny fraction of
people are rejected on these grounds when seeking entry under a
program that allows admission for 90 days for travelers from
certain countries. Between fiscal 2005 and most of fiscal 2012,
a total of 9,796 were denied -- a fraction of a percent of those
admitted. State Department figures for visa applications showed
a similar trend, with just .068 percent of visa applications
denied on those grounds in fiscal 2011.

Sessions has been hammering this issue for months. He and other
Republican senators earlier wrote to the departments of Homeland
Security and State arguing that a bedrock principle of
immigration law is that "those who seek citizenship in this
country ought to be financially self-sufficient."

The senator suggests the immigration system has produced a
lopsided result in which high-skill immigrants are turned away
while those who end up absorbing more taxpayer dollars than they
contribute stay.

Recent studies show welfare spending on immigrant-headed
households is relatively high. A Center for Immigration Studies
report found that 36 percent of these households were using "at
least one major welfare program" in 2010 -- compared with 23
percent of other households.

Sessions' office says the number of non-citizens on food stamps
has skyrocketed in recent years. And the conservative Heritage
Foundation claims low-skill immigrant households take in roughly
$20,000 more in government benefits every year than they pay in
taxes.

Sessions suggests the government is fueling this trend. He
earlier made a stink over long-running U.S. Department of
Agriculture radio "novelas" that depicted people being pressured
into going on food stamps.

The ads were later discontinued. The senator also is drawing
attention to the WelcomeToUSA.gov site that provides information
on a host of taxpayer assistance programs for immigrants,
including Medicare, food stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families and others.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/18/come-to-us-live-on-
dole-senator-says-immigration-stats-show-welfare-rules-not/

--
Are you obligated as an armed civilian, to defend unarmed
liberals while you are both under fire by foreign agents of the
outlaw Obama administration?

No. Shoot the liberals immediately so they can't stab you in
the back while you are defending yourself, then return a
controlled rate of aimed fire.