Government restrictions on charitable services to undocumented immigrants
According to the Washington Post, the Virginia House has approved a bill that will strip funding from charities that provide services to undocumented immigrants. Yes, the poor children that receive healthcare from Catholic Charities clinics really need to learn a lesson. Come on, people! This punitive crap is such a Bush move - started his first month in office (Jan. 22, 2001) when he issued a memo reversing the Clinton administration position on unrestricted family-planning aid overseas. This is exactly the reason I want to work on issues impacting immigrants.
The Virginia House of Delegates approved a far-reaching proposal Tuesday to strip charities and other organizations of state and local funding if any of the money is used to provide services to immigrants in the country illegally.
The proposal, one of nearly 50 immigration-related bills under consideration by the General Assembly, could force such groups as the Salvation Army and the Virginia Association of Free Clinics to verify immigration status before offering assistance to those in need
or risk losing funding.
“This is to make sure the monies that are going to charities and organizations go to the people they are intended to go to, which is legal immigrants,” said Del. Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas), the sponsor of the bill. “The ultimate goal is to make the commonwealth of Virginia an unwelcome place if you are in this country illegally.”
