From Fox News:
PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — Linking the presence of undocumented workers to Rhode Island’s financial woes, Gov. Don Carcieri signed an executive order that includes a series of steps to combat illegal immigration.
The order signed Thursday requires state agencies and companies that do business with the state to verify the legal status of employees. It also directs the Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal immigrants.
The Republican governor said he understands that illegal immigrants face hardships — but he does not want them in Rhode Island, America’s smallest state. “If you’re here illegally, you shouldn’t be here illegally. You shouldn’t be here,” Carcieri said.
Immigrant advocate Juan Garcia feared Carcieri’s proposals would drive a vulnerable community underground. He said illegal immigrants who are victims of crime will fear approaching police, and that children could suffer if parents lose their jobs.
“These people are not criminals,” he said. “This is affecting the poor people.”
Carcieri’s popularity has plummeted in recent months as Rhode Island faces an estimated $550 million (euro348.41 million) budget deficit, its worst financial crisis since a series of bank and credit union collapses in the early 1990s. He has proposed cutting school funding, reducing welfare and health care benefits and even letting prisoners out of jail early.
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Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackRI Governor Don Carcieri Signs Executive Order To Crack Down On Illegal Immigration…
Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri has signed an executive order that forces the state to verify that its employees are legally in the country. In addition it also instructs that any businesses that receive state contracts also verify the legal…...
As a State employee in a large Human Service agency in RI and retired US Army soldier I have very strong concerns for the direction we are heading. Even though cuts in State government threaten my career, they are necessary. With that, so too is it necessary to explore other burdens on State government.
I have said time and time again, RI is the smallest state and therefore should be the example and leader not just for illegal immigration studies, but illegal / fraudulent public assistance and waiting periods to establish RI residency, not just US residency, to be eligible to receive State Public Assistance.
My theory is simple. If we make a modest family income of $85,000 per year with no children to support, we try to donate to church and other charities. Perhaps $3,000 to $4,000 per year or more, in good times. In hard times we reduce that charity to $1,000 to $2,000 per year. The same has to happen with the State of RI. We cannot afford to take care of everyone. We need a 12 to 18 month (min.) waiting period for anyone that is not a RI resident to receive any public benefit from the State. This deterrent, combined with other reduction of expenses should contribute greatly to reducing the budget deficit.
We should also give the companies that hire illegals a one-time amnesty which would include a workforce shift. By this I mean, you get caught as a company, the State would waive the penalties if that company replaced the illegal workforce with citizens that are on public assistance or unemployed. The company would be allowed under this State program to continue to pay the $5 per hour (if that was the rate it paid the illegal worker) and not be subject to possible future health care legislation for any worker hired under this program. Can you imagine the offset to our public assistance programs if these private companies were paying the $5 hour x 8 hours per day x 40 hours per week portion? Then multiply by the number of workers yielded (potentially) by the “shift”.
The Executive Order is an emergency mechanism. The RI Assembly now needs to pass more detailed immigration legislation, which would include the Governor’s Order and also target those areas that cost the State government the most money – first. The waiting period should be a first step. Remember – this would be for ANYONE, not just illegals.
Finally, when the word “illegal immigrant” is used, let’s not forget the countless Yugoslav, Asian, African, and many other White / European and former Soviet block illegal immigrants. I never once saw the word “Hispanic” or “Latino” in the Executive Order or any other targeted format where the term “illegal immigrant” was used in potential lawmaking.
Good Luck Governor—Ron Sanda – Sergeant First Class
US Army Reserve (Retired)
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