Here’s an idea that needs to be stopped immediately. Because people living in our country illegally cannot qualify for unemployment benefits or stimulus checks, lawmakers in Trenton have drafted a bill that would give a total $35 million to many of them. The illegal immigrants in this bill would be the ones who have filed taxes through an ITIN or an Individual Tax Identification Number. The top payment would be $1,000.

Democratic State Senator Teresa Ruiz says there are about 140,000 ITIN filers in New Jersey so this bill helps only some. Keep in mind estimates are we have around half a million illegals in our state. Even when some have filed taxes, it does not change the fact that they violated immigration law by being here. If I were bold enough to flout the law and sneak into or stay in a foreign country illegally and then something like a pandemic hit creating massive job losses, in a million years it would not occur to me to think I should be entitled to any form of government assistance. The hubris of these advocacy groups and these lawmakers is staggering.

At a time you have a million actual citizens hurting because of being displaced from their jobs through no fault of their own or their companies, any money you can scrape together to justify further assistance should be going to them, American citizens, not to people who aren’t supposed to even be here. It’s such a common sense, obvious thing to say I can’t even believe it needs to be said.

Yet it does, because when asked about this notion weeks ago Gov. Murphy said he wasn’t opposed to the idea. In fairness, he was noncommittal and did mention the state’s dire financial outlook, yet did not seize the opportunity to dismiss this lunacy outright.

Apparently this encouraged some lawmakers, because now there’s a bill to do just that. Bills S2480 and A4171 would offer a one time payment of $1,000 to someone with at least one dependent child, $700 to married couples with no child and $500 to others.

This is bad. Citizenship is being rendered more meaningless with every handout. Let Trenton know what you think of this legislation, and let us know in the poll below.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.

Travel back in time to a colorized Atlantic City circa 1919

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM