An Ominous Sign

From the State of Washington:

State GOP toughens stance on immigration

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The state Republican Party has adopted a platform stating that children born of illegal immigrants should not be granted automatic citizenship.

Why do I say its ominous? Because, immigrants are poor. If a child is poor in the US they get no medical care unless they can get Medicaid. They can't get Medicaid unless they are citizens.

Here in Maryland Our Dear Gov has already started slicing similar children off the Medicaid Roles:

Md. health cuts exact toll on immigrant kids

Thousands legally in state lost care, but a surplus could provide relief

By Todd Richissin
Sun Reporter
Originally published April 4, 2006

The medical forms completed on behalf of Brayan Herrera said this: Without continued treatment for a rare blood disease, the 8-year-old Maryland boy could die.

His treatment ended anyway.

Brayan is a member of a relatively new class of Maryland residents: legal, newly arrived immigrant children stripped of state-assisted health care.

Last year, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., pointing to budget difficulties, cut the $5.5 million set aside for legal immigrant children who have been in the country less than five years and whose families have income below certain limits. He also cut a $1.5 million program to provide recently arrived pregnant immigrants with prenatal care. His office declined last week to comment on the cuts.

This year, with a state surplus hovering around $1 billion, neither the governor nor the legislature has restored the Medical Assistance program funds that care for the immigrant children or pregnant women. (emphasis added)

Now anyone can figure out what is going to happen here. Either these kids and mothers wind up in the ER and our already strapped system becomes even more untenable, or many of us will have to start doling out care for free.

The latter is doable, but it irks me that Our Dear Gov is going to a dinner where they will raise millions of dollars for his campaign, at the same time that he is cutting off funds for these kids.

It just irks me.