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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2017)
8A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 Fear of deportation drives people off food stamps in US By CLAUDIA TORRENS and GISELA SALOMON Associated Press NEW YORK — A crack- down on illegal immigra- tion under President Donald Trump has driven some poor people to take a drastic step: opt out of federal food assis- tance because they are fearful of deportation, activists and immigrants say. People who are not legal residents of the U.S. are not eligible to take part in what is formally known as the Supple- mental Nutrition Assistance Program. But many poor families include a mix of non-legal res- idents and legal ones, such as children who have citizen- ship because they were born in the U.S. In those cases, it is often an adult who is not a legal resident who submits the application. Some now feel that is too dangerous under a presi- dent who has made immigra- tion enforcement a priority. Throughout the U.S., there are accounts of people resisting efforts of nonprofit organiza- tions to sign them up for food stamps, letting benefits lapse or withdrawing from the pro- gram because of the perceived risk. “They don’t want to put their name and address on a form for a government public benefit out of fear that they’ll be sought out and asked to leave,” said Teresa Smith, executive director of Catholic Charities of Orange County, California. ‘Less food’ The food stamp program AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews Rosa, an undocumented immigrant who wants her last name withheld, pauses as she speaks during an interview in New York in March. Rosa who used to get about $190 per month from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, stopped taking benefits fearing depor- tation, and now gets by with the help of a local church and some family members. provides monthly payments, typically about $125 per eli- gible household member, to poor families to buy essential staples. Going without can be an extreme decision, advocates say. “This means less food in the table, fewer meals in houses where the kids have rights because they are U.S. citizens,” said Andrew Ham- mond, an attorney for Chica- go’s Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. It is not possible to deter- mine the extent of the phe- nomenon. The number of food stamp recipients has declined as the U.S. recovers from the Great Recession and peo- ple could drop out for various reasons. A 52-year-old woman inter- viewed in New York City, who is in the country illegally, told The Associated Press she was motivated in January to drop a benefit that was supporting her teenage daughter, a U.S. citizen, purely because she was afraid of being in the food stamp system, which requires applicants to state their immi- gration status. “I had been told that it’s OK to apply for food stamps. But, for the moment, I don’t want to take any risks,” said the woman, who spoke on con- dition of anonymity because of her immigration status and was introduced to AP through an organization that helps immigrants, the Mexican Coa- lition of the South Bronx. “I need it but I have peace of mind because my case is closed,” said the woman, who makes $8.50 an hour clean- ing houses and lives in small apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A 29-year-old Hondu- ran immigrant and single mother with one child in Silver Spring, Maryland, decided not to renew the food stamps she received when they expired in January. “We fear depor- tation,” said the 29-year-old immigrant, who also spoke on condition of anonymity and was introduced to AP through a local nonprofit. She nor- mally earns about $350 per week answering phones at a travel agency but has been working extra hours cleaning homes to make up for the loss of about $150 per month in food stamps. Mark Krikorian, a well- known advocate for reducing immigration to the U.S., said their situation reflects the fact that many people who come to the country lack the skills to earn enough money here. “It is an attempted moral black- mail to say ‘If you Americans don’t give me your money, I can’t stay here and feed my children,’” he said. “Well, it’s your choice. No one made you sneak into the United States.” 3.9 million children About 3.9 million citi- zen children living with non- citizen parents received food stamps in the 2015 fiscal year, the most recent available data, according to the Department of Agriculture, which admin- isters the food stamp program. The Department of Agricul- ture says a lower percentage of noncitizens who qualify for the program known as SNAP have historically used the ben- efit than citizens because of an incorrect perception that it could affect their immigration status or hurt their chances of becoming a U.S. citizen. “It is important for non-cit- izens to know they will not be deported, denied entry to the country, or denied permanent status because they apply for or receive SNAP benefits,” the agency says on its website. Driving the most recent fears about the program is an increase in immigration enforcement. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nearly 40 percent more people sus- pected of being in the coun- try illegally in the first 100 days under Trump than in the same period a year earlier. The agency said nearly 75 per- cent of them had been con- victed of criminal offenses but “non-criminal arrests” were up by more than 150 percent. Consult a P ROFESSIONAL should I have Q: Why my teeth cleaned twice a year? A : JEFFREY M. LEINASSAR DMD, FAGD 503/325-0310 1414 MARINE DRIVE, ASTORIA www.smileastoria.com Associated Press LEO FINZI Astorias Best.com TEHRAN, Iran — The Islamic State group claimed respon- sibility today for a pair of stunning attacks on Iran’s parliament and the tomb of its revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho- meini, which killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 40. The bloodshed shocked the country and came as emboldened Sunni Arab states — backed by U.S. President Donald Trump — are hardening their stance against Shiite-ruled Iran. In recent years, Tehran has been heavily involved in conflicts in Syria and Iraq against the Islamic State, but had remained untouched by IS violence around the world. Iran has also battled Saudi-backed Sunni groups in both countries. Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard indirectly blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks. A statement issued today stopped short of alleging direct Saudi involvement but called it “meaningful” that the attacks followed Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, where he strongly asserted Washington’s support for Riyadh. The statement said Saudi Arabia “constantly supports” terror- ists including the Islamic State group, adding that the IS claim of responsibility “reveals (Saudi Arabia’s) hand in this barbaric action.” The “spilled blood of the innocent will not remain unavenged,” the Revolutionary Guard statement said. White House looks for ways to undermine Comey’s credibility WASHINGTON — With fired FBI Director James Com- ey’s highly anticipated congressional testimony just a day away, the White House and its allies are scrambling for ways to offset potential damage. Asked Tuesday about the testimony, President Donald Trump was tight-lipped: “I wish him luck,” he told reporters. Comey’s testimony Thursday before the Senate intelligence committee could expose new details regarding his discussions with Trump about the federal investigation into Russia’s election meddling. Be aware that this scan A: will take 30 minutes or more to run, and you cannot use your computer while it is running. Visit Avast.com, and install the program. After installation, click on “Protection”, then “Anti-Virus”, then “Other Scans”, then “Boot- Time Scan”, then “Install W e are here to help Specialized Definitions”, then in any Way “Run on Next PC Reboot.” We can . During the scan, if prompted what to do with found viruses, M-F 10-6 Sat . 11-4 77 11th Street, Suite H select #2, remove or quarantine Astoria, OR found items. 503-325-2300 Islamic State claims stunning attack in heart of Iran WASHINGTON — A day before a Senate panel hears for- mer FBI Director James Comey’s first public account of his dra- matic firing, lawmakers will question senior members of Presi- dent Donald Trump’s national security team about surveillance law and are expected to ask whether the president has tried to influence ongoing investigations into Russia’s election meddling and possible coordination with the Trump campaign. Two of the four national security executives scheduled to tes- tify before the Senate intelligence committee today were report- edly asked by Trump to publicly state that there was no evidence of collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats has declined to answer ques- tions about this publicly. And House Armed Services committee lawmakers did not raise the issue when National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers recently appeared before a subcom- mittee hearing on cyber issues. The back-to-back hearings come as the White House grapples with the fallout from Comey’s firing, which led to the appoint- ment of a special counsel to take over the Russia investiga- tion in an effort to prevent even the appearance of Oval Office interference. Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, and ensuing congressional and FBI investigations into Moscow’s ties with Trump associates has dogged the president since he took office. White House officials had weighed trying to block Comey from testifying on Thursday by arguing that his discussions with the president pertained to national security and that there was an expectation of privacy. However, officials ultimately concluded that the optics of taking that step would be worse than the risk of letting the former FBI director testify freely. For the majority of patients concerned about their dental health this is a reasonable interval. However, for many patients who struggle with plaque control, have poor brushing habits, inadequate diets, smokers, and patients with medical conditions such as diabetes a more frequent cleaning interval is recommended and appropriate. And yes, there are the few patients out there who do an amazing job of home care and can remain healthy on just an annual cleaning visit and checkup. Remember “ you only have to brush and floss the teeth you want to keep”! anti-virus program is Q: My not removing a virus. WORLD IN BRIEF Senators to ask about Trump pushback on Russia investigation Immigrant advocates see the aversion to food stamps as a reflection of a climate of fear that drives people in the country illegally deeper under- ground, which in some cases also makes them reluctant to report crimes. “We should care if peo- ple are afraid to interact with institutions that all of us rely on for our health and well-be- ing,” said Tanya Broder, senior attorney at the National Immi- gration Law Center. Should I buy a Q: new box spring/ Rob y ’ s foundation when Furniture & Appliance purchasing a new mattress? Astoria • (503)325-1535 1555 Commercial Street Store Hours Mon. - Fri. 9:30 to 5:30 Saturday 10:00 to 5:00 More Locations: Fars News Agency/Omid Vahabzadeh A man hands a child to a security guard from Iran’s parlia- ment building after an assault of several attackers, in Teh- ran, Iran, today. Suicide bombers and gunmen stormed into Iran’s parliament and targeted the shrine of Ayatol- lah Ruhollah Khomeini on Wednesday, killing a security guard and wounding several other people in rare twin at- tacks, with the siege at the Legislature still underway. Comey could also bring up other aspects of his dealings with the Trump administration. On Tuesday evening a person familiar with the situation said Comey had told Attorney General Jeff Ses- sions that he did not want to be left alone with Trump. The person, who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press the comment was made because of concerns Comey had about Trump. Woman accused of leak made pro-climate, anti-Trump posts AUGUSTA, Ga. — Before she was charged with leaking U.S. government secrets to a reporter, Reality Leigh Winner shared sometimes scathing opinions on President Donald Trump and his policies for the whole world to see. The 25-year-old U.S. government contractor has worked since February in Augusta, Georgia, for a federal agency that nei- ther prosecutors nor her defense lawyer will name and where she had access to sensitive documents. But the secretive nature of her job didn’t stop Winner from speaking freely on politics and other topics on social media accounts accessible to anyone. She posted on Facebook three months ago that climate change is a more important issue than health care “since not poisoning an entire population seems to be more in line with ‘health’ care, and not the disease care system that people voted for a soulless gin- ger orangutan to ‘fix.’” Winner remained locked up Tuesday on federal charges that she made copies of classified documents containing top-secret material and mailed them to an online news organization. She was scheduled to appear before a federal judge Thursday for a detention hearing. In her spare time, Winner lifted weights and taught the occa- sional yoga class. She served six years in the Air Force before she moved to Georgia early this year, according to her mother, Bil- lie Winner-Davis. Reporters gathered Tuesday outside Winner’s small, red-brick home in a neighborhood dotted with overgrown yards and houses in disrepair. Tillamook • (503) 842-7111 1126 Main Ave Lincoln City • (541) 996-2177 6255 SW Hwy. 101 Newport • (541) 265-9520 5111 N. Coast Hwy. Florence • (541)997-8214 18th & Hwy. 101 Loop-Jacobsen Jewelers, Inc. A : Yes, you should always buy the matching foundation with the purchase of a new mattress, unless the bed you are putting it on is a solid platform design. All mattress manufacturers have a clearly defined limitation built in to their warranty requiring a proper support surface for the mattress. is the Q: What Birthstone for June? A : Frank & Judy VanWinkle A family owned and operated jewelry store since 1919 (503) 325-6181 1360 Commercial Astoria, Oregon I am Pearl, the gemstone of lovers. The lovelorn have used me in their potions for centuries. Embrace me while you slumber and I will weave your dreams into true romances. I protect innocence and symbolize purity. Pearls are a traditional gift for brides and celebration of the 3rd and 30th anniversaries.There are many colors of Pearls, shapes and sizes. Alexandrite is also a birthstone for June and gemstone for the 55th anniversary. Q: I bent over and my back went out! A : ASTORIA CHIROPRACT I C Ba rry S ea rs , D.C . 503 -3 25-3 3 11 2935 M a rin e Drive, As to ria , Orego n Now you can’t get upright. The pain is horrible. First, put ice on the back for 15 minutes; repeat hourly — NO heat! Reduce inflammation with ice. After that, the fastest way to get back on your feet is with chiropractic care. Manipulation and therapies (ultrasound, laser EMS) speed up healing and reduce swelling. The next time your back is aching call 503-325-3311.
