Thread: VA: Senate shoots down immigration bills

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Senate shoots down immigration bills
By Gregg MacDonald
02/21/2007

Two Senate committees have dispensed with several immigration-related bills in the Virginia legislature.


Six different bills, tied together only by their immigration-related content, were killed in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and General Laws Committee last week. All six bills had passed earlier in the House of Delegates.


"We are pleased that the Senate turned back legislation that would have posed serious threats to our immigrant community," said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. "In a time of such strong anti-immigrant sentiment, many of these measures would have substantially increased discrimination based on nationality."

Three of the killed bills, HB 1618, HB 1970, and HB 2926, would have allowed state and local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws, much in the way that the Herndon Police Department is planning to do.

Del. David Albo (R-Fairfax) was a sponsor of HB 1970.

"We are a nation of immigrants, and our diverse cultures make us strong," he said in support of the bill. "But it is unfair to ask people who wish to become Americans to follow immigration protocol, while others disregard our immigration laws."

The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated in 2000 that there were 103,000 illegal immigrants in Virginia, while the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C., estimates that Virginia currently has approximately 200,000 illegal immigrants.

HB 2622, which would have made it a felony to harbor an undocumented immigrant, was passed by indefinitely yesterday in Senate committee.

HB 2687, which allows lawsuits to be filed against employers by employees replaced by undocumented immigrants, was also killed by the Senate Courts of Justice Committee last week.

The Senate General Laws and Technology Committee killed HB 2623, which would have made it impossible for any undocumented immigrant to receive in-state tuition.

"We are pleased that the Senate turned back legislation that would have posed serious threats to our immigrant community," said ACLU of Virginia executive director Kent Willis. "In a time of such strong anti-immigrant sentiment, many of these measures would have substantially increased discrimination based on nationality."

Who IS FOR the concerns that Americans have about illegal immigration. This isn't about anti-immigrant sentiment. This isn't about LEGAL IMMIGRANTS. There is no discrimination toward LEGAL IMMIGRANTS. We only ask that illegal immigration be stopped and ask that laws that are already on the books be enforced. Believe me, this is what over 80% of the American people desire.
Unfortunately, this decision was made by a handful of lawmakers WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE REPRESENTING AMERICANS, NOT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS! WE HIRED YOU- IN CASE YOU FORGOT! DON'T TURN YOUR BACKS ON US NOW!

We are going to try a campagin of sending faxes and letters. I think e-mails can be deleted. We are going to give it one last stab here in Arkansas. We are trying for a thousand letters/faxes by May 1 to our Gov. and U.S. Congress people. We want a paper trail.

JJ

VA Senators are extremely pro-illegal. All they want to do is raise taxes so they can give more to illegals.

I wonder just what in the hell it is going to take to make our leaders listen to us, someone please tell me, what that is, I am willing to do it!