Joe Doakes from Como Park emails:
When Central Americans sneak across the border to the US, the ones who get caught claim asylum as refugees. That entitles them to due process which means a hearing on their claims. Except the courts are backed up for years.
We don’t keep refugees in concentration camps at the border, we release them on their own promise to appear. And being potential refugees, they’re immediately eligible for welfare, plus they can work pending the hearing, and the US Government pays their way to be resettled across the nation while awaiting the hearing.
The Orlando gunman worked for the company that has the contract to provide the transportation.
Joe Doakes
Well, at least he’s not working at an airport…
…oh, crap.
“That entitles them to due process which means a hearing on their claims.”
Interesting that a post after this is regarding Minnesota’s Senators (V. Fluff & S. Smiley) participation in a filibuster to make certain due process rights don’t matter if someone in the government decides (or more likely, by accident) puts a citizen (documented or not) on a watch list preventing them from accessing their civil rights under the 2nd Amendment.
The party that wants to make certain that these future voters who’s first act as a ‘citizen’ is to break the law have full access to their Constitutional rights of due process couldn’t give a damn about due process for someone that someone else decided to put on a ‘list’. No worries for Sen’s Fluff or Smiley though, a DFL’r with a byline like Pat Kessler isn’t going to ask them about this contradiction*.
*That’s a special service only Republicans get – has Kessler knocked down newly name Trump advisor Michelle Bachmann’s door to ask her about Trump’s divorces, adultery and lack of a church yet? Don’t worry, he will be soon.
We can’t afford a few hundred bucks per family for tents and to get immigration courts going at a reasonable speed, but we can spend tens of thousands per family for welfare. Penny wise, pound foolish, as the British used to say.
I knew a Russian refugee back in the 90s who came in (via Ireland and Canada) on a fake passport, and went immediately to the Government Center and applied for asylum. He, too, was released on his own recognizance – but was told he couldn’t work (legally) and I don’t think he even thought to ask for welfare. We ended up meeting him (long story) and he lived in our basement for about a year while waiting for his case to come up. Our church helped him with expenses and such (though he was very proud and hard-headed). He ultimately won his case – but I remember that time well.
The law may have changed since then, Night Writer, or perhaps your friend was given bad advice. Here’s where asylum seekers get a work permit while their case is pending.
https://www.uscis.gov/i-765