Senator Orrin Hatch Releases An Enforcement Only Immigration Bill Which Would Deny Health Care To Children

GOP Senator Orin Hatch released an enforcement only immigration bill yesterday. Mark Eddington of Utah Television Station KCSG has the full details in his article Utah Senator Orrin Hatch Introduces His Own Immigration Bill:

Hatch’s bill, Strengthening Our Commitment to Legal Immigration and America’s Security Act, would require participation in key law enforcement programs, clamp down on identify theft, streamline our visa system, track the amount of welfare benefits being diverted to illegal immigrant households, curb serious abuses of our immigration laws and help prevent Mexican cartels from using our national parks and federal lands to grow marijuana and other illegal drugs

There is virtually nothing in the legislation other then enforcement measures, such as 287 G and Secure Communities:

For example, one key provision would require eligible states, counties and cities to make use of the Secure Communities and the 287(g) programs, which are highly successful U.S. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) initiatives that the senator has helped bring to many Utah counties and communities.

“The innovative technology and information sharing in these programs have resulted in the prompt identification and deportation of serious criminal aliens in Utah and other states,” Hatch said. “These programs are too important to stand idle in our battle against criminal illegal aliens.

This needs to change, and my bill will see that it does.”

But not only that, this bill would deny healthcare to children of immigrants:

The bill would further place limits on states’ ability to receive federal funds to provide Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to cover children and pregnant women who are not U.S. citizens. It would also direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to submit a yearly report to Congress on the total dollar amount of federal welfare benefits received by households of illegal aliens in each state and the District of Columbia, as well as the overall dollars the states spend on welfare benefits.

“This is vitally important,” Hatch explained. “Before we can have an honest discussion about the drain illegal aliens are having on our welfare system, we must be armed with accurate information to understand the extent of the problem and its serious ramifications to the prosperity of our nation.”

Senator Hatch did not provide a legislative path for his bill in the Senate.