My Thoughts on the 2025 Minnesota Budget Controversy & MA for Illegal Immigrants

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 Dear Editor (Fargo Forum)

        A total denial of MA assistance to adult illegal immigrants could have some serious public health and safety implications for citizens and legal immigrants.   Suppose an "undocumented" member gets something like COVID or has a chronic illness, such as diabetes. In that case, it is not a great idea to deny them medical care or dump all of these people into the emergency rooms across the State and cross our collective fingers.
         I loathe the Trump administration's immigration policy for its abolishment of due process rights, and for the fact that it does not give us the bipartisan immigration policy that we need, one that keeps America safe, competitive, and multicultural.
         I am also skeptical when folks on the far right-wing or the far-left wing make this anarchist argument that we do not need any laws, rules, or regulations.  On the left, I see this when I go to Indivisible rallies, and some people hold up signs saying that we say, "Abolish ICE", and abolish any legal distinction between legal versus illegal immigration status.  On the right, I see this when some people talk about the Second Amendment.
         Yes, immigrants -- documented or undocumented -- are entitled to certain legal rights. For the sake of human dignity and basic public health and safety, we cannot entirely deny medical coverage to anyone, but I do not hold to the anarchist idea that immigrants should have the same rights and benefits as citizens or that it is immoral to pass and enforce a reasonable and humane immigration policy. 
        The current immigration policy is broken and is not remotely reasonable or humane.  We got the Trump administration running around arresting anyone and everyone who looks different, not unlike a Communist dictatorship.
        We have some people who are oblivious to the fact that without the Brown people, legal and illegal, lots of Americans would see even higher food prices, higher housing costs, and some smelly toilets.   
         Maybe it is because I am Jewish, and (long story) grew up in Saudi Arabia, but I have never really understood the discomfort, the fear, and even hatred that some people have for other people because of these sorts of human differences
          Maybe it is because my childhood was multicultural, I had friends with disabilities, knew people who thought differently than me about religion and politics, and yes, a good friend of mine in college was transgender.   I do not know the reason, but we do seem to live in an era where the Golden Rule, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," has been replaced with "due unto others before they do unto you."

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