April 24, 2009

Former U.S. representative to speak at Virginia Tech
A North Carolina crowd earlier cut short a speech Tom Tancredo planned on illegal immigration.
By Greg Esposito

Tom Tancredo, a former Republican U.S. congressman from Colorado and an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration, will speak Monday night at Virginia Tech.

His visit comes less than two weeks after a rowdy protest at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill cut short a speech he had planned there against awarding in-state tuition to undocumented, or illegal, immigrants. Police used pepper spray on students to break up the protest, but the disruption prevented Tancredo from speaking.

Tancredo's visit to Tech is sponsored by the university's chapter of Young Americans for Freedom. He will speak at 7 p.m. in the Brush Mountain B room of Squires Student Center. It is free and open to the public.

Crystal Delgaudio, president of the group, said there will be security on hand, but she doesn't anticipate Tancredo will receive the same greeting he did in Chapel Hill.

"I don't think Tech has a history of that sort of thing," she said.

Former U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode also faced protesters during a visit Wednesday to the Chapel Hill campus, but was able to finish his speech.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/wb/202359