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Tell Schwarzenegger: Don't Cut Immigrant Benefits
  1. Signatures
    105 out of 200
    Petitioning
    1. The Governor of CA
  2. Created By
    M G
    Washington, DC
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

California historically has welcomed immigrants with open arms and helped them find footing in their new country. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, himself an immigrant, wants to change that.

Schwarzenegger is proposing cutting almost all public services for new, authorized immigrants who work and pay taxes: emergency food aid, cash assistance, job training, child care and health care.

Most low-income people are eligible to receive some form of all of those services from the federal government, but not immigrants; Congress took their benefits away in 1996, and they must wait five years to enroll in public assistance programs. Realizing that immigrants are a valuable part of California's economy -- they make up one-third of the state's workforce and contribute one-third of its revenue -- California stepped up at the time. But facing a budget crisis, Schwarzenegger has decided to target some of the poorest and most vulnerable residents of his state to save a measly 1.5 percent of the deficit.

The effect of these cuts will be disastrous for immigrants struggling to gain footing in their new country. A nonpartisan state think tank concluded that the proposal would cause thousands of people to become homeless, go hungry, get sick and die. Sign the letter to tell Gov. Schwarzenegger that cutting services that many people need to survive is unacceptable and insist that he cut 1.5 percent from something that's not a matter of life and death.

Photo credit: Christian Haugen

Recent Signatures

Don't Cut Services From Your Most Vulnerable Constituents

Greetings,

In 1996, California stepped up when Congress abandoned new, legal immigrants to this country. Now you are proposing abandoning these same people -- some of your state's poorest and most vulnerable residents. Your proposed cuts to new immigrants' social services would deprive them of emergency food aid, cash assistance, job training, child care and health care.

As an immigrant to the Golden State yourself, surely you know that many new arrivals are in desperate need of help. They can't afford to wait five years to receive job training or be able to visit a doctor. Many of them left family and friends behind in search of a better life, and they are working as hard as they can to gain their footing in the United States. Telling them they won't receive any help from the state is misguided and cruel.

According to your estimate, the cuts would save about 1.5 percent of the $20 billion budget deficit for next year. But considering this a cost-saving move is short-sighted, according to several studies. Immigrants who don't receive preventative care will be forced to visit the emergency room instead, sending public hospital costs skyrocketing. More immigrants will become homeless, creating more of a financial burden for the state. As one study concluded, "California will not be well-served by budget decisions that increase homelessness, emergency room use and put vulnerable seniors, the disabled and children at risk." We concur.

But aside from the costs associated with these proposed cuts, you could single-handedly cause a catastrophe on the human level. A nonpartisan state think tank concluded that the proposal would cause thousands of people to become homeless, go hungry, get sick and die. Please consider cutting 1.5 percent elsewhere -- from a program that's not a matter of life and death for thousands of people.

[Your name]

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