The consequences of not being legal enough

Today’s New York Times highlighted the plight of Bronx resident Olga Berroa who came legally to the U.S. with her two daughters in 2002. Despite her background as a teacher in the Dominican Republic, she labored in several menial jobs in New York for the next four years. In July 2006 she slipped and fell down a flight of stairs and received multiple injuries. Though Berroa received disability leave she was unable to incur more aid during her time of most need:

She applied for welfare for herself and her daughters…

But when she applied for disability assistance, Ms. Berroa found out that as a legal immigrant who was not yet a citizen, she had not paid federal taxes long enough to qualify…

She covered most of her rent with a federal housing subsidy. But when the rent went up and her share increased, she realized that she could not pay the rent anymore. – [ed. emphasis added]

Let’s summarize:

• Immigrates to the U.S. legally, not undocumented.
• Works for four years apparently without resorting to public aid.
• Has an accident that costs her her job.
• Is not a legal enough immigrant to receive welfare when she needs it most.
• Is about to be evicted with the rest of her family.
  

There are those who will grandstand and declare that the current immigration system is doing well. (I’m looking at you Mikey Chertoff). Yet Berroa’s case is indicative of a broken system that needs to be fixed ASAP.

How can it be that someone who has proved her worth to her family and community be treated so flippantly? How can one believe that immigration reform is unnecessary or that the solution involves either mass deportations or a general amnesty? How fair is it for legal immigrants to have to jump through so many hoops like a circus act in order to reach citizenship? How much longer must we wait for politicos to get their heads out of the sand and enact just, well-meaning changes to a rubbish immigration status quo?

Despite the obstacles, Berroa was able to receive help mostly from the Catholic Charities along with a little public aid. Yet for her to have to face the burden of not being a sufficiently legal immigrant speaks volumes of a system in dire need of repair.

Image- New York Times (“Olga Berroa with her daughter Eliana Lozada, 18. They came to the Bronx from the Dominican Republic in 2002.”)
Online Sources- New York Times, Washington Times