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Sharp differences between Healey, Patrick on illegal immigration
By Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press Writer | September 23, 2006

BOSTON --It's an issue that has divided voters from Florida to California. Now the question of just how hard the state should clamp down on illegal immigrants is poised to play a key role in the race for governor in Massachusetts.

Republican Kerry Healey has already staked out a series of tough stands on the issue, from requiring photo identification at polling locations to penalizing companies that hire illegal immigrants to barring non-citizens from applying for public housing.

Her stands differ sharply from Democrat Deval Patrick, who has supported a proposal, shot down by state lawmakers earlier this year, that would allow illegal immigrants to attend state colleges at the same in-state tuition rate as Massachusetts residents.

The challenge for both Patrick and Healey is to find a way to use the issue to turn out voters in November's final election.

"There's no one stand you can take that will please all Democrats or all Republicans," said Julian Zelizer, Boston University, professor of American politics. "It's so divided, and that makes it so tricky."

The day after Patrick scored a decisive victory in the Democratic primary race for governor, Healey unveiled a slate of 50 proposals she would push if elected governor. Several were directed at the issue of illegal immigration.

One of her proposals would require voters to produce a photo identification before casting ballots to "prevent non-citizens from voting." The idea isn't new. This week, the U.S. House passed a bill that would eventually require voters to show proof of citizenship. Similar state efforts to require photo IDs for voters have been shot down recently by judges in Georgia and Missouri.

Another Healey proposal would introduce "severe penalties" on companies that hire illegal immigrants.

"Every job they give to an illegal immigrant is a job that could have been done by a Massachusetts worker," the Healey proposal reads. "Turning a blind eye to illegal hiring practices only encourages illegal immigrants to locate in Massachusetts."

The issue was already part of a campaign skirmish after Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Philip Johnston said in a television interview Thursday that Healey was using language that "borders on race-baiting" when talking about immigration and crime.

Healey called for Johnston's resignation, saying he was trying to block her from criticizing Patrick, who is black, for his positions on immigration and other issues. Johnson apologized but refused to step down, and Patrick said the apology was enough.

Healey's stance on immigration has resonance with voters like Framingham's Jim Rizoli, who runs a carpet cleaning business by day and moonlights as the host of a cable television show with his brother focusing on the ills of illegal immigration.

Rizoli said he has seen an influx of immigrants in Framingham and wants a governor unafraid to tackle the issue head on.

"This is going to make or break the election. Whoever takes the high ground on illegal immigration is going to win," said Rizoli, who supports Healey. "If you allow the illegal immigrants to keep coming here they are going to affect all those systems in a detrimental way, the education system, the health care system."

Rizoli said those who take a more liberal attitude toward illegal immigration are not only bucking the rule of law, but are also not saying how they will pay to support those undocumented immigrants once they arrive in Massachusetts.

"There's going to be two sides on the issue, those who love the illegals and those who want the law obeyed," he said.

Patrick has offered fewer details on how he would approach the challenges of illegal immigration in Massachusetts. He has said he supports the in-state tuition proposal, despite the fact that it was handily defeated by lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled Massachusetts House in January.

He has also talked more generally about the need for the country to tighten border controls, but has also said the country needs to create a "pathway to citizenship" for illegal immigrants already living and working in the United States, according to a spokeswoman.

One of the problems facing both candidates is that illegal immigration is as much a national issue as a state issue, according to Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

Noorani said some politicians, like Healey, are using the issue at a state level to stoke fears among voters in an effort to pump up their numbers on election day.

"What she is doing is mimicking what the far right is doing in every other state in the union," Noorani said. "Back in the civil rights movement, people would try to scare voters away from the polls, now candidates are trying to scare voters to the polls."

Noorani said the focus on illegal immigration by Healey is out of proportion in the governor's race, compared to other more pressing issues, like job growth, education and public safety. He said Healey could be making a strategic error.

"Those issues, at the end of the day, are what voters are going to vote on, not on voter identification, but it's a great way to get a headline," he said.

The resonance of the immigration issue with voters shouldn't be underestimated, according to Jeffrey Berry, a Tufts University political science professor.

The issue is particularly important with the conservative and lunch bucket Democrats that Healey will need to peel away from Patrick if she wants to win in November.

"I think immigration works to her advantage," Berry said. "Connecting the dots between someone's most recent paycheck and illegal immigration is tough, but it strikes people on a very emotional level."