LatinaLista — The latest Rasmussen poll regarding Arizona’s immigration law says it found that 55% Favor Immigration Law Like Arizona’s For Their State.
It’s not surprising given that the foundation of all the immigration legislation enacted thus far in various states is based partly on fact and a lot of fiction.
For example, two of the main reasons supporters say that any kind of immigration bill is needed is because of escalating crime committed by the undocumented and abuse of the healthcare system.
Looking at Arizona, one has to wonder why the crime portion would be a premise for their infamous SB 1070 when crime rates are actually at their lowest in four decades.
According to the FBI, the number of violent crimes reported in Arizona between 2005 and 2008 dropped by almost 1500 while the number of reported property crimes during the same time period decreased by 8000.
Data compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) show that the violent crime rates in Arizona from 2006-2008 are the lowest they have been since 1983. In 1998, the rate of violent crime was 577.9 per 100,000. However, according to the Department of Homeland Security, by 2008, this rate had dropped to 477 per 100,000 – despite the fact that Arizona’s illegal immigrant population had increased by 70% during this same time.
The other often cited complaint of undocumented immigrants which inspires swift action to enact punitive state immigration enforcement is healthcare. According to the rhetoric, undocumented immigrants take advantage of our healthcare system and are overburdening our emergency rooms.
Yet, a new report by the National Center for Health Statistics finds that this common argument is nothing more than another smokebomb thrown at a gullible public and even more gullible politicians.
According to the report, the majority of people filling up emergency rooms are senior citizens and African Americans.
Among the three ethnic groups: white, black and Hispanic, Hispanics had the lowest rates of emergency room visits.
A few other key findings are:
Among the under-65 population, the uninsured were no more likely than the insured to have had at least one ED visit in a 12-month period.
The percentage of Medicaid beneficiaries under age 65 with four or more ED visits in a 12-month period (5%) was higher than the percentage of persons with four or more visits among the uninsured (2%) and those with private insurance (1%).
Children and adults under age 65 with and without a usual source of medical care were equally likely to have had at least one ED visit.
The data also show that persons without a usual source of medical care are not more likely to have an ED visit than those with a usual source of care, and that uninsured persons are not more likely than others to access the ED for nonurgent visits.
Since undocumented immigrants fall under the umbrella of the uninsured, and given the stats on ethnic use of emergency rooms, it’s clear that Latino undocumented immigrants don’t “abuse” the system as they are accused of doing.
Do undocumented immigrants use emergency rooms? Of course they do, and the fact that anyone would begrudge them of doing this, since this report pretty much spells out that the uninsured use emergency rooms for urgent care, seems particularly inhumane.
These are only two examples illustrating how two of the arguments levied against the undocumented, as reasons enough to create the kind of legislation we, as a nation, condemn other countries for, are manipulated and exaggerated to fit an agenda of a small self-serving group.
If the Rasmussen poll is to be believed and more states follow Arizona’s lead, it’s hoped that each state looks at their own situation to see if what the canned rhetoric says really does apply to their cases.
The big surprise may be that things aren’t as bad as they are being led to believe.
Comment(7)
Pepito
Who will we blame our crime, insatiable drug abuse, and economic downturns, if we were successful in shutting down the Southern border?
The Blacks, the Chinese, the Jews, or maybe Muslims?
If the anti-Latino movement is successful, one of these groups could be the next scapegoat.
Texan123
The Obamacare Bill exempts illegal aliens from the law requiring everyone else to buy insurance. WHY? Where will the aliens receive medical attention. The low cost and free clinics are the first choice, but everyone knows that uninsured women in labor go to the E.R., right?
Your article does not mention ID FRAUD as a crime committed by the false document group. Do you have any stats showing how many Hispanic drivers cause auto accidents while driving without license and INSURANCE???????
Evelyn
Texan 123 said
The Obamacare Bill exempts illegal aliens from the law requiring everyone else to buy insurance. WHY?
Because Republicans wanted it that way. They said if immigrants without legal status were excluded from the bill they would help pass it. Immigrants were excluded and the Republicans failed to keep their word. Thay didnt help pass it.
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Where will the aliens receive medical attention. The low cost and free clinics are the first choice, but everyone knows that uninsured women in labor go to the E.R., right?
From the taxes they have alwayse paid and never got anything in return. The same place they have alwayse received Health care from. It would have been cheaper to let them buy their own health care and their tax money could be used more wisely but you can thank the Republicans for that not happening.
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Your article does not mention ID FRAUD as a crime committed by the false document group.
Probably because it isn’t.
Supreme Court: Making Up SS Number Is Not Identity Theft
The practice of charging undocumented workers with identity theft for using a fictitious social security number to obtain work — or, more commonly, threatening the charge to induce pleas to less serious crimes that lead to quick deportations — will screech to a halt after yesterday’s unanimous Supreme Court ruling that making up a number, without knowing whether the number has been assigned to a real person, is not identity theft.
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Do you have any stats showing how many Hispanic drivers cause auto accidents while driving without license and INSURANCE???????
Probably as many as white people or Black people do. Most Hispanics are citizens so they have an American drivers licence and insurance. Immigrants whose status in illegal can carry a drivers licence from their home country which is accepted to get insurance. Police accept this so very few Hispanics are driving without licence and insurance and probably even fewer have accidents, because if you can drive in Mexico you can drive anywhere
physician assistant
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it
Dream3419
AMAZING article!
Thank You.
People need to get informed, look at the facts and truly think about what comes out of their mouths. Texan123, you had nothing to say about the article so you decided to attack other points such as driving and identity theft? Pathetic, but I will look up some information, and give you a nice APA cited article for you to get educated. We need an educated America. FREE THE DREAM!
Dorothy Villanueva
I am so glad for this article I am bookmarking so i can refer to it when I get attacked by trolls…
Stu Dotson
“According to the report, the majority of people filling up emergency rooms are senior citizens and African Americans.”
Que interesante! Los indocumentados son un chivo expiatorio.
Creo que debemos examinar “los hechos”, especialmente los que tienen que ver con la inmigración, que los expertos y polÃtocos usan para perseguir sus propios intereses.
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