I am against elderly legal immigrants collecting SSI and Medi-Cal (who were brought into the US ALREADY elderly) by their “deadbeat” children-sponsors. These often “American Citizen” children-sponsors promise under oath to support their parent(s) for life in exchange for permanent residence status in the US. When their grandchildren grow up and their child-care duties are over, the child-sponsor/parent decides to no longer support them. Or even more often, the child-sponsor overspent on a house they could never afford in the first place, leaving the elderly immigrant-relative homeless when they lose it to foreclosure.
Sponsors should be held to their sponsor-oath they took with the INS. If they can no longer support the immigrant-parent or other elderly relative they sponsored, they need to scare up funds from other relatives, if necessary, to send them back their home country.
This situation is VERY common in South County SD, especially among Filipino families. These elderly immigrants brought over for childcare and house and yard upkeep have NEVER worked in the US and thus NEVER contributed ANYTHING to Social Security. By the time they get their “benefits” (after being “dumped” by their sponsors), they’ve got $550 – $800 mo coming in from SSI, PLUS Medi-Cal/Medicare. Some use a different mailing address (from their sponsor) for purposes of receiving benefits and then later move back in with their sponsor after their sponsor re-establishes another residence after foreclosure.
It’s a scam but my Congressman Bob Filner supports all this. He’s very tight with the immigrant communities.
