Are those pesky ‘illegal aliens’ soaking up all our welfare?

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My God, I’ve seen this comment more times than I can count.

People will say, “I’m tired of illegal aliens coming into this country and using my tax dollars to get free food, free welfare and free health care.”

So let’s take a look at the realities of this situation.

Do undocumented immigrants receive food stamps from the federal government?

The answer is no, they do not.

Do undocumented immigrants receive welfare benefits from the federal government?

The answer is no, they do not.

Do undocumented immigrants receive free health care from the federal government?

The answer is no, they do not.

Do undocumented immigrants receive any kind of benefits from the federal government?

The answer is no, they do not. They can’t. They aren’t documented. They don’t have Social Security numbers.

Having said that, I hasten to add individual states do have the option of providing meager benefits to this beleaguered population if they want to. The complainers can’t fuss about that.

Remember when the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade? The complainers were quick – and vocal – to support the notion of states rights. They boarded the ship of states rights, and now that ship has sailed. If they live in a state that provides meager benefits to this beleaguered population, they can’t complain because they support states rights.

How many states provide benefits to undocumented immigrants?

Fourteen. Out of 50.

Many of the undocumented immigrants come into this country illegally, I’ll concede that. They do need to go through the process. But they come here and do the jobs Americans refuse to do, pay taxes but don’t get the benefits, and the complainers have a problem with that?

Could it be they don’t like undocumented immigrants because their skin is a different color and they speak a different language?

Is it time for some self-examination?

I think so.

About the author:

Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone’s stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra’s Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year’s Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone’s comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled “December” for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman’s Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone’s novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild’s award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”

Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida’s best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.

As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn’t look a day over 94.

Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .