By Mark Waite
TONOPAH — Nye County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen dove headlong into the deep end of the immigration debate again Tuesday, asking county staff to draw up policies to verify the citizenship of people applying for benefits.
The suggestion came up during a routine approval of an agreement with the Nevada Housing Division to provide rental assistance, help with utility payments and security deposits to eligible clients.
Schinhofen said he emailed Shirley Trummell, director of the Nye County Department of Health and Human Services asking if the county could check citizenship on this program or others.
“She pointed out to me the ones where the state says we can’t ask, but there are four or five that we could, but our county policy doesn’t have it in there to do it. So I’d like to ask staff to bring back a revision of those policies to see if the board has any appetite to add that onto those that we can ask for,” Schinhofen said.
Trummell said there’s no specific guideline for a citizenship requirement in the welfare set aside grant approved Tuesday, as well as the Community Service Block Grant for help with things like food and dental costs, along with the Susan G. Komen program giving help to breast cancer victims. But she said, “if the BOCC wishes me to include proof of citizenship or legal residency within the U.S. I can do so.”
Currently, Nye County Health and Human Services asks for identification for everyone in the household, which usually includes a driver’s license, Social Security card or birth certificate. She said most clients submit the first two, which in theory belong only to legal citizens.
“It is a rare occasion that we have ever had clients with birth certificates from outside the United States that didn’t also have a resident alien card,” Trummell said.
But Trummell said she could put in place a policy that requires identification to include a current Nevada driver’s license, Nevada ID, Social Security card, alien resident card, a passport and birth certificate proving birth in the U.S.
The Ryan White Grant for helping people with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome AIDS and the senior nutrition grants have procedures that prohibit the Department of Health and Human Services from excluding anyone, even undocumented individuals, Trummell said.
Schinhofen told the Pahrump Valley Times he doesn’t know if illegal immigrants are applying for and receiving benefits in Nye County.
“We don’t know because we don’t ask,” Schinhofen said. “I hear from a lot of citizens about how illegal immigrants are using these services and the county doesn’t do anything about it.”
“They’re taking it away from people who have a legal right to be here,” he said.
Under the agreement approved Tuesday with the Nevada Housing Division, households using the program may not have gross incomes that exceed 60 percent of the area median income, 15 percent of the households served must be at the poverty level.
The NHD requires quarterly reports showing the clients served, a breakdown on their race and ethnicity, name of the client or head of household, the household income, people in each household, type of assistance and other information.
In March, Schinhofen balked at applying for a $32,400 State Fund for a Healthy Nevada grant that would fund a food bank and provide a monthly grocery voucher to low income and disabled adults at the Department of Health and Human Services.
“It does not specify you have to be a citizen to receive these benefits,” Schinhofen said at the time. He also objected to the county funding a food bank when there are others in existence.
Schinhofen didn’t complain as loudly as Nye County Assessor Shirley Matson, who wrote a series of emails complaining about dark-skinned workers on the new county jail project, assuming they were illegal aliens. Matson added a lot of derogatory language about Hispanics in her various diatribes later exposed.
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- Nye County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen
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- Nye County Assessor Shirley Matson
I work full time, and have no benefits. How can I get some of this free dental care even tho I am a natural born US Citizen? My guess is that although my pay is not great,(not even enough to live on paying bills) I won’t qualify because I work! Why should the illegals get something for free? They don’t contribute like us legals do.
Illegal aliens should be rounded up and transported across the border. They come back they are just made to disappear like in many other country’s.
Here. Go work for the county. They appear to be paying so much better with above average benefits over private industry.
Nye County Public Works has an immediate opening for a Heavy Equipment Mechanic in Tonopah, NV. Hourly Range: $19.68 – $25.89. Nye County offers an attractive benefits package including 100% County paid health, dental and vision insurance for the employee. The County also provides a $25,000 life insurance policy that will jump up to $50,000 after two years of employment. In addition ten 10 hours each of sick and annual leave is accrued monthly. Applications & complete job description available @ http://www.nyecounty.net or call 775-751-6301.
And that is why we the people MUST demand that every county and town job that can be privatized, should be. We can start with the ambulance service.
What we need are men with balls who will have the courage to go after the people that hire them. It’s that simple.
Lets see…..
* CRIMINAL TRESPASS into our country.
* Illegal use of motor vehicles to get around.
* No Insurance ; which carries a fine of $2500 each offense.
* Theft of services; Healthcare
* Theft of services; Education
* Theft of services; Welfare and Food stamps
* Identity Theft, Tax evasion, SSI non-payment, etc,etc,etc
Please also note the NOSE DIVE in quality of the above mentioned services and the SKY ROCKET of price over the past 20 years (AKA: The invasion)in this country.
30 Million thieves will have that effect.
Now if any of us taxPAYERS or “Non-Illegal Looking” people committed even ONE of the above offenses…..Who’d come to our rescue or defend us?
This Shinhofer guy is probably going to start being stalked and “ethics charged” frivolously (again at the taxPAYER dime) for even dare mention this. The DEFENDERS of Illegal activity for “Certain people and not others” wont stand for it.
Funny how they dragged Matson into this story. Trying to drag someone in because they didn’t complain as loudly.. reeks of desperation.
As far as I and many others here are concerned, Illegals have NO rights to ANYTHING here in this country regardless of their race. I fully expect Schinhofen to be the next one brought up on “Ethics changes” by our local pressure group here that seems intent on ruining our rural life, putting in sidewalks and street lights all over and turning us slowly into East LA.
I will say this, if it comes to that, expect a backlash from those of us tired of not being allowed to say enough is enough when it comes to illegal aliens in this country.
Roger, what this article demostrates is that there is a right way of doing things and a wrong way of doing things. This commissioner is now doing what should have been done and followed from the very beginning. There are obviously check points in place that were not followed. Had professional protocolsbeen followed there wouldn’t be all this aftermath having to be cleaned up. Right now this department does not look good.
In hind sight, what happened is a good thing. Hopefully they have learned from it and will now t follow the correct policies and procedures and all employees will conduct themselves in a professional manner with everyone, instead of sticking their finger out the window to see which way the wind is blowing.
Also, I don’t know if your referring to the Lopez group, but since when did they start constructing the sidewalks and installing the lamp posts? Again, you sound real igrnorant when you make these statements. East Los Angeles was built/constructed by Jews. Go do your homework. Also, most small businesses in East Los Angeles are now owned and operated by Hispanic women.
You claim this is not about racism but you come across like one – a real wet-behind-the-ears ignorant.
Last thing I need is a history lesson from you. As for the Lopez Group, they have the ear of the town manager, anything they want, just seems to “happen” so you are the one sounding ignorant on that point. They cried about sidewalks and street lights and like magic they are going up all over. I thought the town was broke?
If being a “Racist” in today’s world means I dont want our tax dollars going to illegals as benefits, then so be it, I guess that makes me and many many others, racists.
East Los Angeles may have been built by the Jewish people, but they have been long chased out by gangs and crime. Sadly that is ALL that comes anymore when a “city” pops up.
Again, if you are illegal of ANY RACE, you do not deserve benefits paid for by the legal American Taxpayer. I am not just picking on Hispanics here, having lived in Chicago for most of my life before here, I saw illegals of many races.
After reading this article, it seems to me that Commisioner Schinhofen is conducting this in a professonal protocol manner by researching policies and procedures. He’s looking closely at applications filled out. This is definetly appropriate versus going by assumptions and skin color.
Forget illegal aliens just for a moment.
If you don’t ask for any ID at all (as I understand is the case now), what would keep a Californian or Arizonian from coming and taking Nye County benefits ?
I agree illegal aliens are one issue, but we don’t even know if the English speaking, European looking people are legally obtaining benefits !!!
Your last assertion is excellent! Which serves to conclude that it’s not only about if your legal or illegal, it’s about skin color. Remember the workers on the jail site who were actually white but Matson thought they were illegal because of their skin color…possibly tanned becasue of the sun. What does that tell you…
The commisioner has his job cut out for him. Now, they are going to have to be extra careful in crossing their ‘i’s and ‘t’s before claiming someone is an illegal – otherwise, again they will face lawsuits, and rightfully so.
THis has made Pahrump look like a real ugly town to visit, tour, or even live in. It has made us residents look ignorant and beastly. It’s no wonder they want to dump us with Yucca. It’s no wonder they want to build all those prisons here.
Good for him!
We don’t need illegals here. Let them go back where they belong.
Harsh? No. Truthful.
What does the word “illegal” in Illegal Alien mean? BREAKING THE LAW JUST BY BEING HERE.
Go mooch off someone else. I hear it’s nice in California this time of year.
Battle lines are being formed… That’s what happens when you go too far into racial/identity politics.
The “former Yugoslavia” is an example of the end game of identity politics. It would be an interesting social experiment to see how the USA were to react if it were ever to be losing a war that actually threatened to destroy its national sovereignty.
OH please! Stop making excuses for yourselves and trying to find an easy scapegoat. All of you attack the illegals but I have yet to hear from any of you to go after the main person which is the person who hires them. You make absolutely no mention of that.
The USA has lost itself – Pahrump is a great example . So please cut the jargon about not losing a war. Drugs and alcohol run rampant here. It’s disgusting! To top it off, Nevadais 5th in the nation in teen suicide. What’s your excuse for that. At least the illegals work. What do we do? We sheeple complain but do not provide real solutions.
lsemma2 ………….study history to understand why illegal immigration eventually destroys Nations. I’ll help you along by relating to you that illegal immigration , aka,barbarians were finally allowed into Rome because Rome needed TAX MONEY ( DOES THAT RING A BELL TODAY) because many Romans had fled the city ( suburbia) due to high taxes. The Western Roman Empire then started it’s long road to oblivian once the “iilegals” were in Rome and reforms were instituted.
The Roman Eastern (Byzantine) Empire was formed from a breakaway of the Western Empire by Constantine I.
It is entirely possible that if illegal aliens are allowed to continue to rape America of needed services for it’s citizens, America will eventually break up into maybe 5 separate nations. One Nation, One language, One Culture, One ethnicity.
Hey Roger…don’t feel bad being labeled as racist by Lsemmma, if you don’t agree with her she will she will label you dumb, ignorant, racist or anything else she can come up with.
Anyway, my turn to be labelled. The majority by millions if illegal personnel coming over the border is from Mexico and Latin America. Europe and Canada account for about 6%. Most European and Canadians stay on the east coast. About a half million illegals make it into the USA each year. There are an estimated 11-20 million illegal aliens in the USA. Most of illegals from south of the USA border hang out in the western states. To be called racist when it is assumed someone talking about an illegal alien on the west coast is Mexican is asinine. The math and common sense supports it. Even more so when you think of how Calif has pretty much thrown open it’s doors to illegal immigrants with amnesty cities.
IF you think about terrorism, the math would probably support about 98% of terrorism incidents around the world are done by muslims. So am I? a racist or a realist when i hear of a terrorism incident somewhere in the world and I think Islam? Am I a racist or a realist when I hear of an illegal immigrant in Pahrump and I think Mexican? Am I a racist when I assume a Chinese restaurant is owned and run by Chinese people?
East LA was started by a bunch of different immigrants to include Russian, Spanish, Japnese and Jewish settlers. It became almost completely Hispanic during WWII when Mexican workers were used to back fill labor due to a shortage of manpower. It is now the largest Mexican/American community in the US. There is still a synagogue there though.
My own opinion is that the best way to deal with the the problem is through secure borders and strict enforcement. Secure the borders, equal and very strict enforcement across the USA and we will cut down on the illegals through attrition. No open borders and no path to citizenship. I look at what has happened in Alabama with unemployment going down and illegals leaving in flocks due to enforcement.
Comment removed. Stay on topic.
PVT
THIS Is what we get when certain groups like Positive Pahrump make race an issue.
Now everyone has to walk on eggshells around the concept of illegal Mexican immigrants in our town.
Get them OUT of the country, off our welfare rolls and back to the country of origin.
I am really really starting to dislike these people who moved here from somewhere else and now tell us how to live in Pahrump.
Comment removed. Everyone has a right to an opinion…even if it differs from yours. One of the rules here is not arguing with someone about their opinion. It’s theirs.
PVT
Look no further than our local McDonalds if you want to see illegals at work. There are penalties in place for hiring undocumented workers but are not being utilized by anyone. The owners/ managers are seeking hard workers who are not caught up in drugs or to lazy to come to work. Thats why Walmart is full of elderly employees, due to the lack of quality workers in our community.
As long as the insurance companies insure undocumented drivers and the DMV registers and puts license plates on their cars, who are we to expect anyone else to make the first move. I have seen legal and illegal imigrants work under a fake social security numbers and collect benifits under another number. How easy would it be for the rest of us if we never got married? Women recieve all the benifits because she is pregnant and single. She states the father went back to Mexico or she says she doesn’t know who the father was. Meanwhile the Men are working full-time. Medicaid pays for everything.
Are we just to take for granted that every person who has their hands out needs a handout? If it is a personal or private handout then no, but if it comes from taxes or some form of government program you bet your keaster. They should start monitoring what people buy with the food stamps. I enjoy the steak at my friends house on occasion, since I myself cannot afford such wonderful cuts of meat on my salary.
Second Dose,
Thank you for seeing both sides of the picture and stating it well. Unfortunately, we have folks here who only want to see one side.