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wwaldack writes:

1Paradiselost,
Your comments are accurate with notable exceptions,
According to Factcheck:

We’ll just quickly note that illegal immigrants are broadly disqualified from collecting benefits from government programs, according to U.S. Code, with only limited exceptions. Those exceptions are:
■Emergency medical care (which includes emergency labor and delivery)
■Emergency disaster relief that is provided for the short term and is not a cash payment
■Limited immunizations and testing, and treatment of symptoms of communicable diseases
■Certain community programs, such as soup kitchens or crisis counseling, as specified by the Attorney General
■Limited housing or community development assistance to those already receiving it in 1996

These are the only circumstances under which illegal immigrants can lawfully receive government assistance. Notably absent from this list is any type of Social Security benefits. To repeat: Illegal immigrants cannot legally receive Social Security benefits, and Congress isn’t about to vote on legislation that would change that.

Of course, some immigrants who are here without legal permission do end up receiving Social Security and other benefits, through bureaucratic mistakes or through deliberate fraud. The Government Accountability Office has even called this a "serious problem," though the GAO also says that "the full extent of benefit fraud is unknown." This problem draws the ire of conservative commentators and is sometimes distorted in Internet or e-mail postings to imply falsely that such payments are government policy.
Justin Bank - Author
Wayne Waldack

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