Wilson Backs Some Aid for Illegal Immigrants

SACRAMENTO —  Departing from his tough talk on the campaign trail, Gov. Pete Wilson sought compassion for some of California’s most needy illegal immigrants Tuesday by asking the state to continue spending millions of dollars for their care.

State officials acknowledged that some of the exemptions Wilson sought might violate Proposition 187, the 1994 ballot measure he vigorously championed to cut benefits for illegal immigrants.

But they said the proposition--now stalled in a federal court--could be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. They also said the exemptions for such needy groups as mentally retarded children, infirm elderly people and cancer victims are justified for humanitarian reasons.

“Historically, I have sought to remove benefits that serve as a magnetic lure drawing illegal aliens across our border,” Wilson said in a statement. “However, for humanitarian purposes and to protect life, safety and public health, I am seeking legislation to exempt nine public benefit programs from the cutoff.”

Wilson’s shift demonstrates the chasm that can exist between campaign rhetoric and real-life policies. The change avoids the potential for a negative political image that could have damaged the governor had his effort to deny benefits to illegal immigrants ended up jeopardizing hundreds of fragile lives.

Lately, Wilson has faced similar difficulties in following through on some of the demanding elements of welfare reform.

Earlier this month he reversed himself by supporting a delay in cutting food stamps to thousands of single adults. Two weeks later he approved another delay for cutting food stamps to legal immigrants.

Wilson’s order Tuesday followed a seven-month internal review of state agencies that the governor ordered in August to identify programs in which illegal immigrants might participate.

In addition to the nine programs that Wilson says he would continue for illegal immigrants, the governor also identified more than 200 state services for which he will order a screening process to determine citizenship and allow termination of benefits for illegal immigrants.

Those programs range from health services like drug treatment and children’s dental work to cosmetology licenses, student financial aid and job placement assistance.

Wilson Cabinet officials who joined in a morning press conference said they suspect that illegal immigrants participate in various state programs they oversee but they do not know how many.

Because of that, officials also had no estimate of how much money citizenship screening might save. They insisted, however, that eventual savings would offset the cost of the additional paperwork.

Officials do know, however, that the programs Wilson plans to continue for illegal immigrants are quite expensive.

For example, the state’s Long Term Care program--which does screen for citizenship--has identified 200 illegal immigrant patients. Their care costs about $10 million per year. The state’s cost to treat an AIDS patient is about $16,500 per year.

Officials also said most of the changes to ban illegal immigrants from other programs will not take effect for at least a year and possibly much longer.

First, state agencies will be asked to write regulations for the new procedures. Then a public hearing process is required, usually lasting about eight months. Finally, the state needs to determine which documents it will accept for verification of legal resident status.

Immigration advocates also said the new procedures to ban illegal immigrants are likely to be challenged in court. “There is no reason for any state to be moving this quickly to take apart programs that have been open to illegal immigrants,” said Thomas Saenz, attorney for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Wilson’s announcement was met with cautious optimism by Democrats in the Legislature, which must approve the continued spending of money on illegal immigrants.

Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) promised to give the governor an open ear. Assembly Speaker Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno) added that “Wilson is headed in the right direction, but still has some distance to cover.”

During the next several months, Wilson spokesman Sean Walsh said, state agencies will seek to determine the extent and cost of participation in state programs by illegal immigrants. After that, he said, the state will request reimbursement from the federal government--as it has done, with only limited success, for costs related to education, emergency health care and prisons.

Of the nine programs Wilson sought to exempt, five health care services would continue for existing patients but would stop accepting new applications.

Wilson would also exempt three public safety-oriented programs--rape counseling, witness protection and treatment of abused children--as well as continued immunization programs for children.

In addition to those nine programs, federal law separately provides for illegal immigrants to receive emergency health care--including AIDS treatment--and public education.

Wilson ordered the review of state programs in August after President Clinton signed a federal welfare bill that ended most services for illegal immigrants.

Wilson administration officials saw the federal bill as an opportunity to implement many of the provisions of Proposition 187 that were blocked by a federal judge.

Harold Ezell, a former regional Immigration and Naturalization Service commissioner and a proponent of Proposition 187, said he could support Wilson’s exemption.

“You are in a Catch-22 situation,” he said. “You cannot arbitrarily end somebody’s life.”