NEW TREND IN CARDBOARD SIGNS?

Yesterday afternoon, I saw this guy holding his sign outside of Trader Joe's:

(click on photo to enlarge)

This is the first time I've seen a homeless person feel compelled to include information about his or her national citizenship.  It's getting weird out there.

Now, if the proposed immigration bill were to become law, would all needy people be required to disclose their residency status before asking for a handout?  Would it be against the law to give an illegal resident some money or a sandwich (or, in this case, a Trader Joe's gift certificate)?

By the way here's a link to my post about immigration from last year.

Comments

[The Truffle]

Maybe he thought people would be more inclined to give him handouts if they knew he was a US citizen. The "disabled vet" part doesn't hurt, either.

[LAmom]

True. I've frequently seen people mention on their signs that their veterans and/or disabled, that they have children, that they are willing to work, or that they believe in God. This guy's sign gave me the impression that he is probably following the news and knows that the latest trend is a backlash against foreigners.

[twoboysmom]

"would all needy people be required to disclose their residency status before asking for a handout? " Only if they are looking for a handout from the government. Or is a police officer asked them. (Funny, I assumed that was what the current law required of people asking for Health & Human Services assistance or educational assistance. By the looks of California and the public school system, apparently not.)

"Would it be against the law to give an illegal resident some money or a sandwich (or, in this case, a Trader Joe's gift certificate)?" Maybe if people felt the borders were more secure it wouldn't cross their mind to wonder if the person asking for assistance was illegal. Anyone ever hear of "aiding and abetting a criminal"?

I spent part of my childhood/ adolescence living in a predominantly hispanic/ farm/ cannery working area. I grew up with many hispanic close friends. My first boyfriend (and first love) was mexican. I am not racist and I love the Mexican culture but if someone wants to come here and work there are ways to do it legally. The borders should have been secured YEARS ago before things came to a head like this. Now we have a mess to clean up and it needs to be done carefully. But remember the definition of illegal. Should we forgive all shoplifters for doing what they want and ripping off businesses? They were just trying to get something they didn't have at home. Maybe trying to provide a better way of life for their families? The law is in plae for a reason and should be upheld. People who break the law are criminals.

[LAmom]

The view that some have is that the current standards for how many people are allowed to immigrate here are far too low and are unfair (e. g., considering the percentage of the earth's resources that the U. S. uses vs. the percentage of the earth's people that we allow in). Hence, they see illegal immigration as the breaking of an unfair law. At the same time that they would be advocating that the laws be changed, they would tend to be less concerned about rooting out the people who are breaking the current laws.