Former Kansas welfare worker says illegal immigrants abused the system

[Ban Hammer 13,484]

TOPEKA

A hearing on an Arizona-style immigration law drew impassioned testimony today including a statement from a former welfare worker who described “overwhelming” levels of fraud by illegal immigrants.

Lana Reed, who worked as a bilingual specialist for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services in Overland Park from 2008 to 2010, urged lawmakers to adopt the bill targeting illegal immigration.

She described a system overrun by illegal immigrants who used false Social Security numbers and other fraudulent documents to game the system.

“I witnessed overwhelming levels of fraud and corruption resulting in the waste of millions of taxpayer dollars,” Reed told the House Judiciary Committee. “Most of the fraud was conducted pursuant to policies of the SRS, which required employees to turn a blind eye to fraud and abuse…”

Bill Miskell, an SRS spokesman, said that Reed’s testimony was “new information” to him and that it would be evaluated Friday.

“We have protocols and procedures in place for caseworkers to follow, established by longstanding state and federal law,” he said. “We expect them to follow those protocols and practices and … if someone has evidence that that is not happening, we would want them to bring that to our attention.”

The bill, written by Rep. Lance Kinzer, an Olathe Republican, along with Secretary of State Kris Kobach, proposes several ways to stem the waves of illegal immigrants who they say have flooded into Kansas in recent years.

The measure would require police to check the legal status of those they suspect might be in the U.S. illegally. It also would require state and local governments and their contractors to run citizenship checks on new hires and require proof of citizenship for anyone seeking public aid.

“In times like this, we have to make sure that Kansans trying to put food on the table are not competing against illegal workers,” said Kobach, who helped write the controversial Arizona law.

In a standing-room-only Statehouse hearing room, opponents argued that the measure would stretch already overworked police departments, prove costly to businesses and pose an administrative nightmare for workers who provide health services.

“It is a monstrous unfunded mandate on local governments,” said Mike Taylor, a spokesman for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County.

Particularly troublesome, Taylor said, is the requirement that police verify the citizenship of people they stop if officers develop a “reasonable suspicion” that they are in contact with illegal immigrants. It would tie up officers for hours, he said, and undermine the county’s community policing program designed to place officers in closer proximity to citizens.

But Kobach insisted the measure would save the state millions in welfare benefits that no longer would be paid to illegal immigrants. He said the four states surrounding Kansas, including Missouri, already have adopted “E-verify” programs for their own hiring.

“At a time of high unemployment, it is difficult to fathom why a state would not want to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are only used to support the employment of legal workers,” Kobach said.

Tom Stoffers of Tonganoxie said the state was being “bled dry” by illegal immigrants who use social services.

“Citizens want jobs,” he said. “And they clearly should have preference for a job over someone who is in this country and our state illegally.”

The committee did not vote on the bill today. The panel must adopt it by March 18 in order for it to be heard by the full House.

link

[Zero Sum 305]

E-Verify for welfare programs: a good thing to do.

[peejay 327]

These are the people that Obama wants to give a mass blanket amnesty to and turn into voting US citizens.

[Zero Sum 305]

These are the people that Obama wants to give a mass blanket amnesty to and turn into voting US citizens.

Where did he say he wanted to do that?

[peejay 327]

Where did he say he wanted to do that?

In the wild and wacky world of Obamamania it is referred to as "comprehensive immigration reform" (aka: mass blanket illegal alien amnesty). You know....permanent residency, work authorization for the jobs they already illegally hold, and a pathway to US citizenship with voting rights. I wonder who they will vote for?

[Zero Sum 305]

In the wild and wacky world of Obamamania it is referred to as "comprehensive immigration reform" (aka: mass blanket illegal alien amnesty). You know....permanent residency, work authorization for the jobs they already illegally hold, and a pathway to US citizenship with voting rights. I wonder who they will vote for?

Ha ha, I see what you did there. Funny funny.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I thought illegal aliens couldn't get welfare..... huh.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

E-Verify for welfare programs: a good thing to do.

Would seem easy enough. You would think they would have thought of that.

The fact is that the poverty industry, like any other industry, needs customers. If they check into them too well (or at all) they will lose customers. Contrary to what a lot of people think, illegals are not eligible for welfare, they have to be pulling a fraud. But the system does little to verify anything. If they lose customers, they lose funds, if they lose funds they lose jobs. God forbid we ever really END poverty.

The Department of Agriculture is running radio ads (using our money) to advertise food stamps! why? Because Vermont has used only 71% of the money allocated to it for food stamps. Don't you just hate economic recovery? If they do not get the people needed to sign up for it they will lose the funds and they will be sent to California welfare recipients, for example. A local spokesman lays the "blame" for this (yes he actually said "blame") on the fact that Vermont has not been as hard hit by the recession as some states (horror!) and the "hardy New England attitude of self sufficiency" Can you even imagine????!!!

He is say9ng things such as we will "lose our funds" if we do not have the people here that need them (OH NO!) and says this as if it were a threat of horrible things to come!

In short, I do not expect them to be implementing e-verify at the welfare office anytime soon.

Like everything regarding illegal aliens, they will completely forget how to enforce the rules they pass.

Edited March 12, 2011 by Gary and Alla

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I thought illegal aliens couldn't get welfare..... huh.

They can't. Unless they say they are citizens.

[Ban Hammer 13,484]

I thought illegal aliens couldn't get welfare..... huh.

that's what some lwn mouthpieces claim, but apparently they're wrong. imagine that!