Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Cisneros Backs Limit on Who Gets Aid

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry G. Cisneros said he would support a move to deny government health and welfare benefits to illegal immigrants and their families. Speaking on CNN’s “Newsmaker Sunday,” Cisneros agreed with some parts of a proposal put forward earlier this month by California Gov. Pete Wilson that would deny state and federal assistance to illegal immigrants. “There are some benefits (illegal aliens) clearly ought not have,” Cisneros said, including “health benefits and welfare benefits and others that serve as a magnet attracting people here from other countries.” However, Cisneros criticized other portions of Gov. Wilson’s plan, specifically his call for a constitutional amendment to prevent a child born of illegal parents from becoming a U.S. citizen.