NEWSBYPIASH ANON

(I hope you're reading my colleague Dave's terrific Immigration blog, where he frequently covers the DREAM Act, which would allow young adult immigrants brought to the US as children to obtain legal status towards eventual citizenship.  You can learn more about the DREAM Act here.  Given that immigrant rights are closely intertwined with poverty and economic inequality, Immigration guest blogger Piash has graciously agreed to share his own story with us here, as a means to help us understand and support the DREAM Act. - Leigh)

In August 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2007 data on poverty, incomes and health insurance coverage. The poverty rate in 2007 was 12.5 percent as in 37.3 million people. According to the Census the number of people living in poverty was up about 800,000 (36.5 million in 2006, 37.3 million in 2007).

A person earning less than $10,400 in 2008 is considered to be living in poverty. Since undocumented immigrants and their children often work in low wage jobs, have no health insurance, and live in overcrowded apartments, they are most certainly living in poverty. Contrary to the popular myth, undocumented immigrants do not qualify for welfare. As the Congressional Research Service points out in a 2007 report, undocumented immigrants, who comprise nearly one-third of all immigrants in the country, are not eligible to receive public "welfare" benefits. Yet these undocumented workers pay $7 billion per year to the Social Security Administration even though they will not be eligible for any of the benefits. [My emphases - LG]

As an undocumented immigrant student, I now know firsthand how poverty can affect low-income families. But this was not always the case.