[Kudzu_Bob]

He means the hell that immigrant households use welfare and related wealth-transfer programs at higher rates than do non-immigrant households. But of course his comment got the hell voted down by the hive-mind because he was rude enough to notice.

[blinkingled]

> immigrant households use welfare and related wealth transfer programs at higher rates

The data includes both legal and illegal immigrants along with the minority high skilled immigrants.

http://www.cis.org/immigrant-welfare-use-2011 implies that most of that welfare use is from low skilled immigrants and not high skilled ones that are the topic of interest of most HNers.

He presumably got downvoted because it is irrelevant at best and misdirection at worst (by combining illegal and legal data and claiming immigrants claim more welfare which makes it look like highly skilled immigrants claim more welfare).

[Kudzu_Bob]

A quote from the link that you provide: "But even households with children comprised entirely of immigrants (no U.S.-born children) still had a welfare use rate of 56 percent in 2009." Not a very impressive difference, that.

As for the notion that most HNers are interested only in high-skilled immigrants rather than low-skilled ones, that may well be the case. But low-skilled immigrants certainly are interested in HNers, or rather the money that HNers possess.

[blinkingled]

>even households with children comprised entirely of immigrants

I kinda suspected you will quote that! You realize that you cannot tie that to skilled immigrants as such right? For e.g. there is family based immigration, diversity visas and what not that could and does result in households with children comprised entirely of immigrants.

If one thing is clear - highly skilled immigrants are not taking your welfare. I have lived through it and encountered a lot of high skilled immigrants and have not even an anecdote to refer you to where someone was using welfare. I would be very surprised to see data that indicates H1Bs, EB-1/2/3s, F-1s etc. take significant part of welfare benefits.

[Kudzu_Bob]

What you say you want: more skilled immigrants.

What we will get: more welfare, more crime, more unemployment, more ethnic nepotism.

[blinkingled]

You really need to separate the illegals and family/diversity based less skilled immigrants from the skilled ones, otherwise it makes it sound like it is somehow skilled immigrants and their employers' fault that we have all of the perils you mentioned. http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_lpr_... - 2012 immigration stats. Only 14% of legal immigration is skills based.

I don't see how asking for/having more skilled immigrants can possibly be linked to more crime, more unemployment or whatever. Unless you are speculating on what congress might do with immigration reform that will cause it or you want immigration to be completely stopped. (Not sure how that will work out given the illegals situation.)

[Kudzu_Bob]

I'd be happy to separate the various categories of immigrants, but here on Planet Earth those who have the power to implement policy--politicians, pundits, Silicon Valley billionaires--seem hellbent on implementing policies that will open this country up to millions upon tens of millions upon hundreds of millions of people desperate to get into any country that isn't the one they currently live in.

[enraged_camel]

I can't help but state my observation that you sound like a total bigot.

[Kudzu_Bob]

In your OPINION I sound the hell like a total bigot. (As opposed to a partial bigot, I suppose.) Your OPINION and twenty-five bucks will buy a phony Green Card.