By Cary Cheshire
Despite campaigning on
cracking down on illegal immigration, Texas House Republicans just advanced a
measure to provide illegal aliens taken into custody with welfare benefits.
Unanimously.
On Thursday, the House voted
on and approved House Bill 888 by State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R–Odessa) by a vote of 94-46.
What HB 888 originally
sought to do was provide law enforcement tools to combat illegal immigration.
Specifically, the legislation was ostensibly filed to address a problem whereby
smugglers use illegal alien children as human shields to protect themselves
from deportation and prosecution, exploiting US immigration policy. Former
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen detailed the problem at a Congressional hearing this past
March.
“Over the past five years,
we have seen a 620% increase in families, or those posing as families,
apprehended at the border,” said Nielsen.
“Of great concern to me is
that the children are being used as pawns to get into our country. We have
encountered recycling rings, where innocent young people are used multiple
times to help aliens gain illegal entry. As a nation, we simply cannot stand
for this.”
As filed, the bill aimed to
give Texas law enforcement the ability to combat illegal immigration, smuggling,
and exploitation by making it a criminal offense to for a person “with intent
to deceive, knowingly misrepresenting a child as a family member to a peace
officer or federal special investigator at a port of entry.”
The bill was referred to the
House State Affairs Committee where it passed unanimously and then to the
Calendars Committee where it was placed for second reading on the calendar for
April 29.
Due to delays in the Texas House, the bill
wasn’t considered on the floor until two days later, May 1. When it was,
Landgraf quietly accepted an amendment authored by two Democrats watering down
the legislation.
Considered on third reading
on May 2, State Rep. Mayes Middleton (R–Wallisville) sought to undo
the damage done by Democrats the previous day and offered an amendment undoing
the Democrat-initiated amendment. Middleton gained the support of 15 other
Republicans, but was defeated by Landgraf and other Republicans and Democrats.
Meanwhile Landgraf was
struggling to explain his bill under intense debate from border Democrats,
including State Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg.
Their conversation
ultimately resulted in Landgraf accepting an amendment by Canales—to which no
lawmaker objected or asked for a record vote—that grants welfare benefits to
illegal aliens.
The amendment adds another
section to the bill that reads as follows:
“AUTOMATIC PROVISION OF
MEDICAID BENEFITS. To the extent permitted by federal law and regardless of the
nationality of the child, the commission shall ensure a child who is used in
the commission of an offense under Section 37.082, Penal Code, is provided
Medicaid benefits.”
“Beyond disgusted” were
words one observer used to describe the incident.
***UPDATE: Despite murmurs
from lawmakers that the vote would be reconsidered, no motion was made prior to
the Texas House recessing until 9 am Friday morning.
Citizens wishing to contact their lawmaker can
do so by calling the Texas Capitol switchboard at (512)-463-4630.***
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