Longtime readers know we have closely followed the controversy in Maine (archive here) where the state had gained a reputation around the country (and probably the third-world) as the state to go to and apply for asylum. Why? Because even as federal law does not say asylum seekers can get welfare during their wait for the legal process to play out, Maine was giving hand-outs to the “undocumented.”
Republican Governor LePage vowed to reform Maine’s reputation as the go-to state for taxpayer-funded goodies and he was re-elected in blue New England.
And, btw, it was Maine’s generosity that attracted the first Somalis to Lewiston, Maine. See our entire Lewiston archive for the mess that created.
Have we found our Marine Le Pen, or Geert Wilders, or Nigel Farage, or Jimmie Akesson, or Matteo Salvini ?
Interesting don’t you think—a whiff of conservatism creeping into New England!
Here is the latest from Reuters:
PORTLAND Maine (Reuters) – Maine’s largest city has begun clamping down on spending as newly re-elected Republican Governor Paul LePage makes good on a campaign promise to cut funding to cities and towns that give aid to undocumented immigrants.
In an internal memo released on Wednesday, Portland city officials said they had frozen hiring and cut travel and overtime spending after their requests for reimbursement from the state for assistance provided to families with children in emergencies had gone unanswered since July.
The budget shortfall could grow to as much as $3 million this year, city officials said, a hefty sum that underscores the increasingly local impact of the tense congressional standoff over national immigration reform.
“We just don’t have that kind of money sitting around, so we need to act prudently,” said city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin. “We’re in a holding pattern until we receive some kind of official response.”
Tea Party-backed LePage, who was re-elected last week with a strong mandate to reform the state’s welfare system, had threatened in June to cut funding to municipalities that give state-reimbursed general assistance to undocumented immigrants.
“Tell your city councilors and selectmen to stop handing out your money to illegals,” LePage said in a radio address.
Then take note of this next paragraph…..
“It basically came down as an edict from the governor,” said municipal association spokesman Eric Conrad. “How can you expect a municipal clerk to determine immigration status when they’ve never done that before, and haven’t been trained?”
Train them!
When I speak with people who know nothing about the immigration horrors going on in America, they are always stunned to learn that NO one EVER asks for documentation relating to immigration status—not colleges accepting students and collecting tuition, not welfare offices, not motor vehicle administration offices and not board of election offices. I know this from personal experience. If documentation were required it would cut down ultimately on the number of illegal aliens of all stripes living in America!
Now be sure to go to the Reuters story to see the comments! As of this writing there are 1,806—mostly supporting the Governor! And, some suggesting he run for President of the United States.