"Milford’s melting pot boils over; Influx of illegal immigrants spurs resentment" by Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff | July 13, 2010
MILFORD — The tensions that sometimes boil over in Milford are simmering in other towns across the state, turning immigration into a key issue in state political races this year.
Then it will be a GOOD YEAR for REPUBLICANS!
Maybe that's why the issue has faded since the summer.
The Legislature passed a budget with language specifying restrictions on public benefits available to the estimated 150,000 to 250,000 undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts.
I'm just wondering why ILLEGALS are getting ANY TAXPAYER-FUNDED BENEFITS!
It was a watered-down version of a tougher amendment passed in the Senate, stirring passionate debate about illegal immigration in an atmosphere made more combustible by a combination of high unemployment, strained-to-the-limit state and local budgets, and election-year politics....
For all the complaints today about illegal immigrants in town, Milford, which is located about 16 miles southeast of Worcester, celebrates its rich history as an immigrant gateway. There are monuments paying tribute to the Irish, Italian, and Portuguese immigrants who began arriving here a century or more ago.
In the melting-pot enclave of Prospect Heights, a World War II memorial honors “those who came to America to find freedom and a better life.’’ The monument is adorned with ceramic flags of the nations they came from: Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Armenia, Poland, and Greece.
“It’s resentment people feel, not hatred,’’ said Marie Parente, a former Democratic state representative who for years has been the town’s most vocal critic of illegal immigration. “People are resentful at the number of public programs that are used by this population,’’ she said. “We’re allowing lawbreakers to access our programs.’’
When we don't even have enough to take care of LEGAL RESIDENTS and CITIZENS!
“We’re opposed to illegal immigration . . . because it’s illegal,’’ said John Seaver, a former selectman. “We don’t think citizens and legal immigrants who play by the rules and get in line should have to compete with illegal immigrants for scarce public services such as emergency room treatment and public school services.’’
That's right. Race has nothing to do with it!
Also see:
Boston Globe School Daze: Kids in Charge of Boston Classrooms
Boston Globe Summer School: Teachers Do Not Understand the Language
The nerve!
Undocumented immigrants are not entitled to welfare-type cash assistance or food stamps. Under a US Supreme Court ruling, they may enroll in public schools. And under other court rulings or statutes, if they are poor or meet certain income guidelines, they can receive free treatment in emergency rooms, medical and nutritional aid for low-income children and mothers, and obtain public housing in state-funded developments....
You know, I wouldn't have such a problem with it were not all our money going for banks, corporate welfare, and political pensions and perks.
Then again, if we had a TRUE SINGLE-PAYER SYSTEM like France or Cuba NONE of this would MATTER!
There is no reliable data on the number of illegal immigrants in Milford or anywhere else in the United States, for that matter. But many local officials believe the number has dropped sharply, particularly among Brazilians, since the economy tanked in late 2008....
Also see: Mass. Migration: What's the Difference Between a Brazilian and Dominican?
Mass. Migration: Mixed Messages
The Ecuadorans are the most visible and isolated of the linguistic minorities in Milford. Many are members of indigenous tribes in Ecuador’s rural interior, and some arrived here illiterate, speaking neither English nor Spanish but one of the unwritten Quechuan dialects of South America’s Andean region.
That is REALLY going to make it HARD to communicate!
The factory and quarry jobs that drew the early European immigrants to Milford are gone, and the Ecuadoran men work mostly as roofers or construction workers on jobs all over New England.
You know, those GOOD JOBS you do NOT WANT, Americans!
Pfffft!
They stand out around town in their “ladder trucks,’’ scores of vans or pickups topped with ladders on racks....
Manuel, a 29-year-old construction worker conversant in English, has been in Milford illegally for eight years. He said he works with Americans and considers them friends, but he and other Latinos say they feel unfairly harassed at times. Because they are here illegally, they feel powerless to complain, he said....
And THAT is why illegals are SUCH a PROBLEM!!
See: Illegals Already Have Amnesty
Yup, then the RICH and BUSINESSES can AVOID ICKY TAXES and UPPITY Americans demanding their fair share!
Related:
"Not far from the volleyball court, Victor, 5, sat with his mother. Victor was born in Milford shortly after his mother, Asistena, entered the country illegally.
Victor, who will enter public school in the fall, clung to his mother’s leg. She boasted that he speaks English fluently and joked that he is such an American he would rather eat McDonald’s than traditional Ecuadoran food....
There is your OBESITY PROBLEM on top of it!
"On immigration, Patrick is measured; In contrast to ’06, tries to appeal to both sides" by Maria Sacchetti and Marissa Lang Globe Staff | Globe Correspondent / July 22, 2010
This article is available in our archives:
Good thing I saved the clipping, huh?
Governor Deval Patrick's approach to illegal immigration has undergone a marked shift, from populist to pragmatic, at a time when the national battle over the issue has exploded in Arizona and spread to Massachusetts.
Like a true politician.
Four years ago, he said he would sign a driver's license bill and expressed admiration for hard-working undocumented immigrants. In this campaign, his initiatives on behalf of immigrants are less controversial, and he is more measured in his public positions on the issue. Mainly he is defending the status quo....
Related: Mass. Migration: Illegals Can't Drive Fifty-Five
What liars!
Patrick has tried to appeal to both sides of the debate....
That is a SURE-FIRE WAY to LOSE BOTH SIDES!
--more--"
Also see: Milford Makes Its Move
Updates: Patrick says health care for immigrants may not come to end
Massachusetts ministers on a mission to stand up for immigrants
