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Battle heats up over illegal immigration
LOS ANGELES, April 25 (UPI) -- The rise in the number of illegal immigrants in the United States is creating a grass-roots backlash to reduce their benefits.Buoyed by the success of last year's Proposition 200 in Arizona, which mandates a proof of legal residence before being allowed welfare services, and the Minuteman program, which the Border Patrol says cut illegal border crossings by 50 percent, U.S. citizens are moving against illegal immigration. "The reason for this movement is that people have lost hope that the government is going to do its job," Kathy McKee, who was behind Proposition 200, told The Los Angeles Times. "The people in Washington are listening to their contributors who are businesses and businesses, almost without fail, want illegal immigration." McKee, who has changed her organization from Protect Arizona Now to Protect America Now, contends businesses use immigrant labor to keep wages low. Federal agencies estimate there are between 8 million and 10 million illegal immigrants in the United States. The Times reported several states, including Colorado, Virginia and Washington -- are considering initiatives similar to Arizona's while activists in Georgia and Alabama are working to make politicians aware of their concerns. Posted by: Steve 2005-04-25 |
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