Credit cards for illegal immigrants?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=7388709

This link should take you to an NPR story on Bank of A offering credit cards to illegal immigrants.

[DCJenn]

I watch our clients who are first and second generation immigrants cash their checks at those check cashing places that charge insane interest.

I honestly can't get too worked up about it. There are plenty of reasons why having established credit is better than existing in the subset of our country that does nothing but prey on fear.

Jenn

[Rapunzel]

It's going to blow up in their faces:

Illegal aliens are going to spend more than they make (ie not pay their debts) leading to losses for the bank. Yes, the bank can try to repossess things - but, honestly, if you're here illegally you can slip right back through the border and escape any repurcussions. Spend now - and run before you have to pay!

There is also a trend among illegal aliens to use "borrowed" social security numbers (in other words - identity theft). What will it do to the victims of identity theft right now? Why couldn't an illegal alien just buy a new identity (with a credit card? :P ) in order to escape payment on the credit received with the old identity they possessed?

Those illegal aliens who DO stay here and become productive members of society (which is a much smaller percentage than you might think) largely compromise the lowest, poorest tiers of society. Should we be encouraging them to rack up credit debt (a historically awful way for the poor to engage in spending)?

It just smacks of a bad idea - for the bank AND for illegal aliens.

[Vishenka69]

What a horrible idea to turn illegal aliens into the overspending average Americans. I think the program is fine, the way it's described, it's almost a debit card.

[Rapunzel]

Illegal aliens are going to spend more than they make (ie not pay their debts) leading to losses for the bank.

Someone who has gone through hell and high water to come to the US for work to support themselves and their family is not going to fall into the stupid American trap of "spend now, pay later".

Yes, they will - I have inlaws who have (from Mexico)! (I should mention that most of my inlaws are Mexican immigrants. I wish I could say definitively that they were all legal....). Also note that the interest rate on said credit card is astronomical (over 21%) leading to two probelms 1)poor illegals that have to cough up a ridiculous amount to pay off the debt PLUS interest and 2)more defaults on the credit card (ie people running out on the debt) because of the horrendous interest due.

If these credit cards don't require a SS number THEN WHY WOULD ALIENS WANT TO STEAL SS NUMBERS? Aren't these cards a GOOD thing using that logic, then?

You need an identity for a number of things. The trade in identity theft among illegal aliens is a fact - and a growing problem in the United States. It appeared for a period of time that my husband *might* have been a victim of something like this. See: http://www.smartmoney.com/debt/advice/i ... ry=ssn2004 If this particular card does not require a social security card to apply then it does possibly lower the risk of having identity fraud in use for application on the card. But, it doesn't exactly help the bank in the verification process (income or identity).

Cite your sources. How exactly are you SO sure that the percentage of aliens who become productive members of society is "MUCH smaller than you might think"?

First of all let me point out that logic dictates that every illegal alien has already committed a crime. They have bypassed the legal process for entry into the US and initiation of citizenship and broken the law.

Here's more:

The former Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated that as of January 2000 the total unauthorized immigrant population residing in the United States was 7 million. This total includes those who entered the United States illegally and those who entered legally but overstayed their authorized period of stay.

A more recent study estimated that there were about 10 million illegal aliens living in the United States as of March 2005. The study estimated that nearly 700,000 aliens entered the United States illegally or overstayed their authorized period of stay each year between 2000 and 2004. Some experts believe this is a overly conservative figure and that illegal immigrants number close to 20 million.

At the same time, after a steady annual reduction in crime, the annual FBI Uniform Crime Report reveals a slow but sure yearly increase in crime, especially violent crime. Some criminologists attribute the rise in crime to illegal aliens who come into the United States with a criminal background.

Many illegal aliens in the United States have been arrested and incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails, adding to already overcrowded prisons and jails. The US Justice Department issued a report on criminal aliens who are incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails.

The report contained information on the number of criminal aliens incarcerated, their country of citizenship or country of birth, and the cost to incarcerate them. Congress also requested that the Government Accounting Office provide information on the criminal history of aliens incarcerated in federal and state prisons or local jails who had entered the country illegally.

In the population study of a sample of 55,322 illegal aliens, researchers found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. Nearly all had more than 1 arrest. Thirty-eight percent (about 21,000) had between 2 and 5 arrests, 32 percent (about 18,000) had between 6 and 10 arrests, and 26 percent (about 15,000) had 11 or more arrests. Most of the arrests occurred after 1990.

They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. One arrest incident may include multiple offenses, a fact that explains why there are nearly one and half times more offenses than arrests. Almost all of these illegal aliens were arrested for more than 1 offense. Slightly more than half of the 55,322 illegal aliens had between 2 and 10 offenses.

About 45 percent of all offenses were drug or immigration offenses. About 15 percent were property-related offenses such as burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and property damage. About 12 percent were for violent offenses such as murder, robbery, assault, and sex-related crimes.

The balance was for such offenses as traffic violations, including driving under the influence; fraud --including forgery and counterfeiting; weapons violations; and obstruction of justice.

Eighty percent of all arrests occurred in three states--California, Texas, and Arizona. Specifically, about 58 percent of all arrests occurred in California, 14 percent in Texas, and 8 percent in Arizona.

Sources:
Government Accounting Office,
US Department of Justice,
National Security Institute

© 2006 Jim Kouri- All Rights Reserved



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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.

He writes for many police and crime magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer, Campus Law Enforcement Journal, and others. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores.

http://www.newswithviews.com/Kouri/jim62.htm

[Rapunzel]

Other statistics (from 2006 First Quarter INS/FBI Statistical Report on Undocumented Immigrants):


CRIME STATISTICS
95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.

83% of warrants for murder in Phoenix are for illegal aliens.

86% of warrants for murder in Albuquerque are for illegal aliens.

75% of those on the most wanted list in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Albuquerque are illegal aliens.

24.9% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally

40.1% of all inmates in Arizona detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally

48.2% of all inmates in New Mexico detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally

29% (630,000) convicted illegal alien felons fill our state and federal prisons at a cost of $1.6 billion annually

53% plus of all investigated burglaries reported in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and Texas are perpetrated by illegal aliens.

50% plus of all gang members in Los Angeles are illegal aliens from south of the border.

71% plus of all apprehended cars stolen in 2005 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and California were stolen by Illegal aliens or “transport coyotes".

47% of cited/stopped drivers in California have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 47%, 92% are illegal aliens.

63% of cited/stopped drivers in Arizona have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 63%, 97% are illegal aliens

66% of cited/stopped drivers in New Mexico have no license, no insurance and no registration for the vehicle. Of that 66% 98% are illegal aliens.

[diggitydot]

I have mixed opinions on this one. It's great that they're "helping" immigrants establish a credit history. But if they're here legally, they should be able to do so by having a checking and savings account and by building up their credit the way we all do.

But then I see the fees, insane interest rates, and required deposits and it really just comes across as a way to fleece an, at times, less-than-educated or non-English speaking population.

[diggitydot]

ILLEGAL immigrants, these are people who should not be in this country. They do not deserve the rights or privileges of American citizens. If they want those rights than they need to to immigrate LEGALLY.

With that, I agree. I have absolutely no problems with legal immigration, whatsoever. It isn't easy, but since when has anything worthwhile been easy?

Heck, my dad didn't even speak English until he entered first grade. But my family emigrated legally. (And the criteria was much different then. There are now a TON of hoops to jump through and it is not nearly as easy as it once was.)

[SuzySunshine]

ILLEGAL immigrants, these are people who should not be in this country. They do not deserve the rights or privileges of American citizens. If they want those rights than they need to to immigrate LEGALLY.

ITA!