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To the editor:
This is in response to the letter from Mr. Charles Deibert published on June 24.
While what other countries do with illegal immigrants may be true, the fact that Mr. Deibert claims that illegal immigrants in the U.S. get the items he claims they do is complete nonsense. For Mr. Deibert and others like him here are the real facts as taken from numerous sources about illegal immigrants in this country.
Under Obama, illegal immigrants were kept in ICE custody for 72 hours then released to Health and Human Services, where they could be granted asylum (a status that is not illegal but is actually allowed under numerous laws).
Under the previous administration illegal immigrants were kept in cages for weeks, sometimes months, if they were a family they had their children taken from them. The children were put in separate facilities which were often under inhumane conditions and quite possibly caused psychological issues due to being away from their families.
Five hundred of these children due to the previous administration's lack of humanity were lost in the foster and adoption systems. Now imagine if that was your kid taken from you and lost by the government. Yes I know that some of the more bigoted people in this area will say that was the fault of their families but no it was not.
Now to his claims about illegal immigrants getting a driver's license, Social Security Card, welfare, food stamps, subsidized rent, free education and the ability to vote. All these claims from Mr. Deibert are wrong. Some states do offer a form of driving license to illegal immigrants but it is not the same as what most people carry. The reasoning behind this according to lawyers.com is that "it is a public safety issue" meaning that most people believe that a licensed driver is a more responsible and safer driver than those that do not have a license and as such does not, again from lawyers.com "impinge on federal immigration laws."
Now to his claim of illegal immigrants getting a Social Security card. He is totally wrong on this. According to AnnalsofAmerica.com the only type of immigrants that can get a Social Security card are those that have the right to legally work in this country.
As to his claim that illegal immigrants can get welfare and other such benefits, again he is wrong. According to the website for the National Immigration Forum and I quote "Undocumented immigrants, including DACA holders, are ineligible to receive most public benefits including means tested benefits such as SNAP (or food stamps)."
Also according to the same website mentioned above they can only get certain benefits under emergency situations such as when it is necessary to protect life or safety in dire situations.
Now to his claim concerning subsidized rent, sorry Mr. Deibert, you are wrong again. According to website affordablehousingonline.com subsidized rent is only available to legal immigrants, let me say that again, legal immigrants.
As for his claim that illegal immigrants can vote, again Mr. Deibert is wrong. This propaganda has been used by the GOP on numerous occasions and has been debunked each and every time. There is no proof of this ever happening. If Mr. Deibert got this "information" from the GOP propaganda machine i.e. Fox News then they, just like every time they broadcast anything, are creating fake news, but then that is nothing new from them.
So I say to Mr. Deibert that if he or any one of his ilk have the proof then go to the federal authorities with it, and be a responsible citizen and let them deal with it that is unless you have no proof of it happening.
George Fisher
Lewistown