Saturday, February 7, 2009

Stimulus for Illegal Aliens and Foreign Workers

Much to my chagrin this could be a real possibility.
The 12 banks now receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human-resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households.

Ok, now that looks really bad, but of the 21,800 visas requested an unknown number were granted, because that information is not disclosed. What we do know is that 85,000 work visas are granted each year for U.S. employers. Obviously there are benefits of hiring foreigners, a company can get the best and brightest the nation has to offer, and ideally you can pay them less. But at what expense is this to the American people?

During the last 3 months of 2008 the largest banks receiving stimulus funds laid off more than 100,000 workers. The claims number for unemployment benefits that came out Friday was 598,000, a 16 year high. So, the almighty stimulus plan is leaking jobs to foreigners while America is out of work.

Now, how are illegal aliens able to get part of the stimulus?

Senate Republicans say they have found a provision in the $819 billion economic stimulus bill that could allow illegal immigrants to receive tax rebates. In the version that passed the House Wednesday, eligible recipients would be allowed to use taxpayer identification numbers, which illegal aliens can obtain, instead of Social Security numbers, to identify themselves for the tax rebates.

Now, the bill also expressly says illegal aliens are not qualified to receive the funds but they are allowed to get TIDs through legal means, which in turn, would enable them to get stimulus funds.

None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to enter into a contract with an entity that does not participate in the E-verify program described in section 401(b) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.


That’s comforting no? The E-verify program is going to have a massive influx of applicants, more then I think it can even handle. I don’t know the specifics of how it works nor do I really care, but if it works like other DHS applications, there might be a problem or two…

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

let me tell you that i have little faith in the banking system right now. we shoot them $300 billion to loosen things up and things have only gotten worse. now Geitner is talking about TRILLIONS and giving it to banks that pass his "stress test." those bank had better learn how to get that money in circulation. any thoughts on that mr. finance?

Anonymous said...

hey, LT, got your phone message when we headed down to pick up Shiela. She is spending Valentine's Day and night with us up here. Tons of snow up here this month. I got the snowmobile running a few weeks ago. Very FUN! thx for the phone message. i love you a lot. be a great LT and serve your troops well.

Anonymous said...

here is a good one for you. we got a parking ticket addressed to you for 1/29/09 in the city of industry for the license plate BTMMBL for a grey Infiniti. bizarre. I called them and they cancelled the ticket. p.s., how are things going?