Cambridge Mass is a Sanctuary for Illegal Immigrants

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. --This famously liberal city is serving notice that undocumented immigrants are welcome here, even as Congress considers tough new penalties. Police won't harass you. Education and health care are available.
Here's the hitch: You probably can't afford to live here.

So Cambridge has said that undocumented immigrants are welcome to live there. Personally I think that it's a pretty empty statement when you know that they can't afford to live there. But I wonder if this is even legal. Is it up to individual cities to decide this?

It's interesting, what do you think?

[edit on 5-7-2006 by Rasobasi420]

I can't imagine that a city government would have the authority to openly defy a federal law. That being said, I doubt the federal government would find it worth their time and energy to make them enforce it.

I'm an American citizen and I wouldn't mind going up to Cambridge and getting some of that free health care myself !

Yeah, most American citizens couldn't afford to live there. let alone illegal immigrants. It's a pathetic attempt at flashing it's liberalism if you ask me. Normally, I'm pretty liberal, but this is like offering a starving diabetic a piece of cake as sustainence.

Having lived in that area, and knowing Cambridge like the back of my hand, being the liberal-type, but not a liberal voter. I discovered the free healthcare, is usually reserved for the homeless, which cambridge has a year round population of. They usually hang out in Harvard and Central Square.

It really is a "Little Haight Ashbury/San Fransisco". Having seen both, you could surgically remove those sections of Cambridge and copy and paste them into that section of San Fransisco, and you would never know it's different.

There are very few actual Mexicans in Massachusetts, seeing as most news sites mean Illegals as in Mexicans. The majority Latino population is actually from Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic. There is also a fairly large sized Brazillian population. Mostly Anglo-looking blond Brazillians, make up the resident iimigrants from Brazil.

Just keeping you informed,

-ADHD

A disclaimer up front - I live in Cambridge, and i love the town, so i must say i am biased right off the bat.

However - there's one point that has yet to be brought up here. Cambridge is *expensive* to live in. Yes, back in the day there was rent control and everything was fairly cheap, but those days are gone. While the city may turn a blind eye to illegals, they are gonna have one rough time finding a cheap place to live.

Heck look at the current real estate listings and you wont find anything really cheaper than $1000/month *without* utilities. Of course you could always have a house/room mate to help eat some of the cost.

Anyway imo this is non-news. Sure we'll turn a blind eye toward illegals - but i really doubt they can actually afford to live here.

I live about an hour south of Cambridge. My brother lives in Brighton. The whole area is fairly expensive to live in. If, say, LA or Houston did this it would make a difference, but to me this looks like a political ploy by the current administration to garner votes for the next election.

I worked in Cambridge for quite awhile, and there are no Mexicans there...come to think of it the only ones i came in contact with daily were Chinese...there's a candy factory on main street OMG, they used to ride the same train i did and all hell would break loose... I wish i knew what they were saying....
Puerto Ricans are Americans and there may be some Brazilians...its been awhile since i worked there. Yes, its expensive, although not nearly as expensive as Cape Cod.
I think this story is not quite accurate. Health care??? If you're talking about freebies from the government, they see you if you're ill at hospitals. I cant imagine walking into a doctor and being seen simply on your good looks.

Many cities, in fact, are 'haven cities'. They are bound by law to cooperate, but very few do, the penalty for not cooperating is slight. The alternative is to use the police and human and health services to check for documentation and turn over peopel that aren't properly documented.

This would result in non-cooperation with the police, even more so than exists now, and also result in less usage of health services, which, contrary to popular opinion, is generally a bad thing for a city population.

Originally posted by Rasobasi420
If, say, LA or Houston did this it would make a difference, but to me this looks like a political ploy by the current administration to garner votes for the next election.

Oh i couldn't agree more.

As i said, it's non-news

Originally posted by Nygdan
Many cities, in fact, are 'haven cities'

You know, i never actually thought about this, but you bring up a very good point. Most especially the health issue. In very populated areas health issues almost take on the island effect (ie- one person's cold, is the cities cold), because of the dense and common contact while out in about in a city. It's not uncommon to be in contact or proximity of 100 (give or take) people while going form point a to point b.

As such, we do kind of need to allow at the least basic medical care to anyone in these sorts of areas.

Indeed, illegal immigrants are a problem in that they don't pay taxes and use up tax-funded services, but a far worse problem is an angry, unpolicable, plague-spreading illegal population.

I'm willing to bet that any illegal immigrant that migrates to Cambridge will not be plague spreading. Asa matter of fact, I don't know of any plagues being spread by illegals.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Indeed, illegal immigrants are a problem in that they don't pay taxes and use up tax-funded services, but a far worse problem is an angry, unpolicable, plague-spreading illegal population.

What type of plague? Something exotic? I never heard of this....

Y'all misunderstand, my fault in not explaining. If a city doesn't give medical services to illegals, then they will become a disease ridden and generally unhealthy population, as would any population not receiving medical attention. If a city doesn't give medical attention to legal 'american-born' citizens, they too will become disease ridden and generally unhealthy. Its in the cities own interests to not have the police, emts, desk clerks at hospitals, or people operating soup kitchens have to turn in undocumented workers.

Any U.S. city that is openly a sanctuary for illegals should immediately have all state and federal funding revoked until they cease any and all such activities. Assisting groups in breaking the law IS breaking the law.

I just revived this thread after I read that there are now many cities across America following the bad idea that Cambridge started.



[edit on 4/30/2007 by TheAvenger]

Cambridge is not the first nor the only sanctuary city. Other notables include San Francisco, NYC, and Chicago.

As far as health care and education, well, Mass.does have that health care for all program, and we're all aware of their fine educational institutions. Don't worry: the illegals won't be held to any artificial residency rules in order to live off our taxes.

Originally posted by ADHDsux4me
There are very few actual Mexicans in Massachusetts, seeing as most news sites mean Illegals as in Mexicans. The majority Latino population is actually from Puerto Rico, or the Dominican Republic. There is also a fairly large sized Brazillian population. Mostly Anglo-looking blond Brazillians, make up the resident iimigrants from Brazil.

Just keeping you informed,

-ADHD

Illegal immigrant does not mean Mexican to me. The only thing Mexican about most of them is that they enter the US through Mexico; they are generally from South and Central America in addition to Mexico.

I personally think the concept of a sanctuary city is a bad idea. It undermines state and federal efforts, and the idea itself is repulsive.