Lawmaker: Migrants drawn to health care and soft-on-crime policies in Illinois

(The Center Square) – The Illinois Secretary of State will not provide any facial recognition, search services or photos from their database to federal, state or local law enforcement agencies if a bill passes in Springfield.

Now in the House, Senate Bill 2978 also guarantees the confidentiality of documents submitted with an application for a driver’s license. Immigrants in Illinois can now obtain a four-year license that serves as valid identification. Gov. JB Pritzker approved the change last year. Before migrants were given a standard driver’s license, they could get a temporary visitor’s driver’s license.

State Sen. Jason Plummer, R-Edwardsville, said this draws migrants to the state and prohibits federal law enforcement from doing their work.

“Just as the health care law is a magnet for illegal immigrants, especially those who may be seriously ill… what we do in the area of ​​criminal justice, it is a magnet for illegal immigrants, especially those who may be part of criminal gangs from Venezuela whose we know it is actively operating in Illinois, California and other places,” Plummer said. “They are much more active here because we are so soft on crime and this bill is just one example of that.”

On the Senate floor, Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said the bill would prevent federal law enforcement agencies from obtaining information about illegal immigrants who are suspected or identified as persons of interest.

Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, says law enforcement agencies can obtain the data with a court order, warrant or subpoena for individual records.

“It requires the Secretary of State to make these documents public and follow federal law,” Feigenholtz said.

Plummer said if the FBI, DEA, ATF, ICE or any other federal agency, regardless of the issue, is just trying to enforce the law, Illinois law enforcement should cooperate with them.

The bill passed the Illinois Senate and House pending further action.

Plummer further explained that after Pritzker’s initial budget estimate for migrant health care of $550 million, that figure has increased to approximately $770 million. Medicaid plans are not as expensive as health care plans for immigrants because the federal government pays 50 cents on the dollar, he said. Those government health care plans are also “set in stone,” but Plummer said the governor and his allies have promised that the migrants will pay a fee for their services.

“These plans are much better than what I’m getting, what the average Illinoisan is getting,” Plummer said. “So for every dollar we spend on Medicaid, these plans that the migrants get cost about $1.75, compared to the dollar for Medicaid. There is also no federal reimbursement. This is how the program grows. Now everyone is saying this is going to cost a billion dollars, and by the way, they’re taking steps to expand it further.”

In recent months, tuberculosis and measles have been found in migrant shelters in Chicago.

“The longer this plan is in place and how generous this plan is… it is like a magnet that draws migrants to Illinois, including sick migrants. If you are a sick migrant, you go to Illinois,” Plummer said. “This is going to sink Illinois taxpayers. “We have a $1 billion increase in the Governor’s budget recommendation just to cover the unknown bill this will mean to Illinois taxpayers.”

Pritzker introduced a state budget of nearly $53 billion, up from his first budget of $40 billion in 2019.

Illinois became the first state to offer Medicaid-like coverage with the Health Benefits for Immigrant Seniors and Health Benefits for Immigrant Adult programs.

Immigration advocates say the benefits of providing health care extend not only to the individual, but also to their family, community and society as a whole. The Recent Benefits of Healthcare Coverage for Immigrants in Illinois from the Great Cities Institute at the University of Illinois Chicago report said immigrants who receive benefits through Illinois programs have reported that it is easier to work and look for work after receiving health care coverage.