Full Status for Illegal Immigrants is a Hot-Button Issue
- Author: Jessica Williams
- Posted: 2024-07-19
In the heart of Sacramento, California, at the State Capitol, 58 different protesters staged a "Die-in" on the floor there yesterday, in order to protest for the rights of undocumented immigrant workers to receive unemployment payments if they lose their job or cannot find a job. In essence, a "Die-in" is when people flood into a space, lie down, and pretend to be dead. No one really knows if these protests are effective; but they do come across as very annoying to people trying to get by and enjoy their day. The point of a protest, as many politicians have said, is to make people "feel uncomfortable." Of course, this doesn't count for the January 6 Capitol protesters in DC. They supposedly had no right to be in a public building. These people, however, protesting on behalf of illegal immigrants, apparently had every right to be in a public building, and the media is calling this a very bold and brave move.
The organizers of this event, who remain unknown, have received over 25,000 signatures on a petition for a pilot program that aims to start paying immigrants a weekly stipend from an unemployment fund. According to the literature, these aren't actually unemployment payments as much as they're just payments to individuals who are here illegally. The pilot program doesn't really make a distinction between someone who's out of work and someone who's just alive and in America. The organizers believe that money should be given to immigrants regardless.
However, these demands have been whittled down some and the unified message at the protest was that immigrant workers deserve unemployment benefits, just like legal citizens.
The Mile Taken from the Inch Given
For many Americans, which includes millions of naturalized citizens who came in through the front door legally, this is an example of giving people an inch and having them take a full mile. Immigrant programs, after all, make up nearly half of America's welfare spending on its own citizens. While what America spends on its citizens pales in comparison to the money the government throws at foreign nations, it's still very insulting to many hard-working Americans to see immigrants jumping the line at every conceivable opportunity. In California, there is an estimated 11 million immigrants, with some estimates suggesting that at least half are undocumented. The bulk already receives some type of state welfare.
Full Status for Illegal Immigrants is a Hot-Button Issue
The United States of America exists in theory based on its founding Constitution, which does not grant full citizens'rights to people who are not citizens. Though over the years, progressive politicians have worked tirelessly to change this. This is why so many illegal immigrants can take advantage of Section 8 free housing, and SNAP benefits for food. It's also why more and more districts and states in America are allowing people to vote without an ID and without citizenship. While this issue is very hotly contested, the fact is that in Democrat-majority areas, these things happen on a regular basis. So, to a lot of people, the idea of a die-in protest is just laughable. Just wait until the next California budget is worked on, and the state will undoubtedly provide unemployment benefits for illegal immigrants. The fact that people have to protest and whine about this in a sanctuary state is amazingly hilarious to some critics.
According to critics who have been lampooning this protest as pointless, the real issue is that these people do not understand how governments operate. They believe they can fuss and protest and create instant changes, when in fact it's a slow process that will require new budgetary measures and new laws written. This is going to take time; and since it's California, it was likely on the docket to be done anyway.
California has displaced millions of citizens in their state over the past decade in favor of illegal immigrants. Many have been given homes and much more, and the state has more illegal immigrants than anywhere else in America. Most immigrants end up fleeing to a state like California simply because it is a sanctuary state that will provide benefits to them. Because the state already provides so many benefits to illegal residents, it probably just never crossed their mind that they should also include unemployment checks on top of everything else they give out.
By this time next year, however, you should fully expect to see California not only giving illegal immigrants unemployment payments, but likely more money per check than anyone else in the state receives.
