Illegal Aliens Get Millions In Monthly Welfare Checks

On the verge of going bankrupt with an astounding $26.3 billion deficit, the nation’s most populous state is considering saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually by cutting monthly welfare payments to illegal immigrants. 

The savings doesn’t even include the billions of dollars that California spends annually to educate, incarcerate and medically treat the 2.7 million illegal aliens (7% of the state’s population) who live in the state that has so generously offered them sanctuary for decades. It turns out that legislators are finally realizing that illegal immigrants are draining their precious Golden State.

That’s why California officials, extremely generous with tax dollars in the past, are trying to find a way to eliminate welfare payments to tens of thousands of illegal immigrants. The move, which has caused outrage among the state’s powerful open borders lobby, would save a much-needed $640 million a year.

An example of who the state cuts the monthly checks to is an unemployed 43-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who gets $650 a month for each of her four children and about $500 in federal food stamps and other vouchers.

Its still chump change compared to what the state spends—between $4 billion and $6 billion annually—on schools, jails and hospitals for illegal immigrants. That doesn’t even include other local government costs such as police and fire, road maintenance and other public services. 

The biggest chunk—$2.3 billion—goes to educating about 300,000 illegal immigrant children at public schools throughout the state. California expects to spend around $834 million to incarcerate nearly 20,000 illegal aliens in fiscal year 2009-2010 and well over $700 million to medically treat close to 800,000 illegal immigrants. 

More than half the healthcare money will go to emergency services but a substantial portion will pay for nonemergency health services such as abortions, prenatal and postpartum care and even nursing homes.