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Mayor
Said All Undocumented Immigrants Should Be Made Citizens
From Singtao Daily
May 17, 2003
On his weekly radio show on WABC/770AM yesterday, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg said all undocumented immigrants should be made citizens.
Make everyone who is here and undocumented, just make them
citizens, Bloomberg said. Lets get on with it.
Theyll become taxpayers. Theyll become productive members
of society earlier.
The mayor made his remarks in response to two callers. The first
one called himself Chaim. He is a health-care worker and complained
that he is paying taxes while many undocumented immigrants are collecting
food stamps, and taking advantage of welfare, school and hospital
benefits.
Why should I pay for those illegal immigrants? he asked.
In response, the mayor said, Every economic study that has
been done actually says that
undocumented immigrants make
more contribution than the services they get.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg said the United States must protect its borders.
You must remember, just before 9/11, President George Bush
basically proposed a similar idea. He was talking about Mexican
immigrants but I think everybody recognized that would be extended
to all people who are undocumented.
Another caller from Manhattan, who called identified himself as
Michael, challenged the mayor, saying that many people
who go to emergency rooms and prisons are also illegal immigrants.
We want those people to be engaged, get medical care, so
they are not sick and their children can stay out of trouble,
Bloomberg said. The problem is not to put your head in the
sand and yell at them.
They are here illegally, but they are already here,
Bloomberg said. They will continue to be here and Id
rather make them citizens. Its better than the status quo.
Translated from Chinese by Larry Tung
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