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Saturday, 07/01/06

Bryson hits mud early on immigration issue
Use of family tragedy to knock the governor’s record was particularly loathsome

Compared to Gov. Phil Bredesen, Republican Jim Bryson entered the gubernatorial campaign late, low on funds and lagging in name recognition.

Only a level of desperation explains Bryson's willingness this week to take a cheap shot at Bredesen, to use selective information to pander to voters and to do so at the expense of a family tragedy. His was a very ominous, very shameful entree to statewide politics.

On Monday, Bryson introduced Heather Lynn Steffek, whose parents, Donna and Sean Wilson, were killed June 8 when a car driven by Gustavo Reyes Garcia crashed into their vehicle. Garcia is an illegal immigrant. After his arrest on vehicular homicide charges, authorities reported that Garcia had been arrested 17 other times over the last few years without being deported.

Accusing Bredesen of a "leadership failure," Bryson said that the governor "had four years to get serious about illegal immigrants in our state, and he did not." Bryson said he had supported a bill in the General Assembly that would have required state law enforcers to turn over illegal immigrants who commit crimes to federal authorities. Bredesen opposed the bill, which did not pass.

What Bryson failed to say is that immigration is a federal issue. He didn't mention that the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, whose nearest office is in Memphis, is so swamped that agents usually don't respond to reports of people here illegally. He didn't mention Bredesen's offer of Tennessee National Guard troops to assist in border patrol.

And he forgot to mention that Tennessee's law enforcement community, including chiefs of police, opposed the bill that would turn local law enforcers into immigration agents. Larry Godwin, president of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police, said his organization asked Bryson to reconsider his position on this issue. Obviously, he didn't.

The tragedy of the Wilsons' deaths was greatly compounded by Garcia's criminal record and his continued presence in this country. And any incumbent running for election must be able to defend his record. But coupling the Wilsons' deaths with Bredesen's record on immigration is a low blow, even in the realm of politics. •