Thousands of elderly and disabled refugees who receive cash assistance from the Social Security Administration are in danger of losing that lifeline. Their eligibility for benefits expires on Friday. Congress has granted temporary extensions before. It needs to do so again.The welfare overhaul adopted in 1996 set limits on the time that refugees can receive Supplemental Security Income. Noncitizens normally do not qualify for payments, but refugees, who fled torture and war and could not work because of old age and infirmity, were among those granted an exception on the condition that they become citizens within seven years. That deadline came too quickly for some who were unable to pass the citizenship test in time. Many were homebound and had trouble negotiating paperwork or affording the fees. Others were stuck in limbo because of administrative backlogs.
Protecting the safety net for these immigrants — who include victims of sex trafficking, Jews who were persecuted in Russia, Hmong tribesmen who fought for the United States in Vietnam, Kurdish victims of Saddam Hussein — has been a bipartisan effort. President George W. Bush urged Congress in 2008 to extend eligibility for two years.
Sep 29, 2010
Why Do Republicans Now Oppose This?
From the New York Times editorial page:
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Yes it is true that Hmong assisted the US in the war in Vietnam; the war that ended in 1975. The Hmong are not recent immigrants to the US, they have been coming since the early 80's. In Central California, I am willing to be that every SSA office has a US born Hmong employee and at least one office is run by a Laotion born Hmong.
The article forgot to include the Ukrainian refugees fleeing religious persecution for being Christian.
They were paid SSI benefits. Could have used some of that money to pay the INS fees and lived cheaper. The INS backlogs are probably the main reason for the delay, but still, seven years should be enough time to become a US citizen if the immigrant felt driven to do so.
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