http://www.boston.com

Healey urges tougher stance on hiring illegal immigrants
By Russell Nichols, Globe Correspondent | September 24, 2006

Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, the GOP nominee for governor, said during a bus tour of Southeastern Massachusetts that the state should impose tougher penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants, in a way similar to a measure being debated tomorrow in a Cape Cod community.

Officials and residents of Sandwich plan to debate at a Town Meeting an ordinance to impose a $1,000 fine on businesses that employ illegal immigrants. Local officials unanimously approved the measure in July after Selectman Douglas Dexter proposed that the town be declared ``not a sanctuary for illegal aliens."

Healey, who has used her tough stance on immigration to separate herself from Deval L. Patrick, the Democratic nominee, said she supported imposing stricter penalties on employers to ``level the playing field." She said that without penalties, employers who hire illegal immigrants have a competitive edge because they can pay lower wages and offer no benefits to their workers, unlike businesses who hire legal residents.

``Certainly I'm not going to tell towns what kind of ordinances that they can pass, but on a state level, I think we do need to strengthen our penalties," she said. ``Employers only hire people who are here illegally because they think they can get away with it. Certainly imposing higher fines and enforcing those fines would discourage that practice."

With local officials fed up with the grinding process of immigration reform in Washington, communities around the state have sought to pass ordinances to make their cities more or less welcoming to illegal immigrants. Cambridge renewed its status as a sanctuary city for all immigrants this summer.

Patrick has struck several stances opposed by those who favor stricter controls on immigration, supporting driver's licenses and in-state tuition for immigrants who are here illegally.

In the past, Patrick has criticized the Romney-Healey administration for inadequate enforcement of state laws that require businesses to hire legal residents.

On the campaign trail yesterday, Healey and her running mate, Reed Hillman, toured the Cape and Southeastern Massachusetts by bus, stopping at a New Bedford Town Hall meeting, the Bourne Scallop Festival, and a quaint restaurant in Plymouth before 3 p.m.

Healey used the bus tour to highlight contrasts between her campaign and Patrick's, calling her opponent ``soft on crime" and saying that Patrick ``refuses to obey the will of the people" who voted to roll back the state income tax to 5 percent in 2000. But Healey refuted the idea that she was attacking Patrick.

``It's not attacking when you're talking about legitimate differences," she said in an interview.

Throughout the day, rain swelled in gray clouds overhead, threatening to burst at any moment, but Healey -- in brown slacks, a blue blouse, and black fleece vest -- kept on moving. At the Scallop Festival at 11:40 a.m., she shuffled through throngs of people, shaking hands with locals, children in strollers, two clowns, and a cowboy on stilts.

``Hello I'm Kerry Healey, I'm running for governor. Where are you from?" she would ask anyone within reach of her extended hand.

She entered a big white tent, where for 15 minutes she helped serve food, dumping a dozen fried scallops, French fries, and cold slaw onto plastic plates. She briefly introduced herself on a stage to the crowd, and then she sat down at a table with her own plate of scallops and fries. Then she continued meeting and greeting.

Healey approached Kurt Wallat, 58, of Lancaster, who was busy eating his scallops. He looked up from his plate and shook her hand. Then Wallat, who is contemplating leaving Massachusetts because of the high cost of living, told her he wanted ``no new taxes."

Healey nodded and said, ``That's why people are leaving." She told him that she wanted to roll back the state income tax and that she would fight to make the state more affordable.

Tom Fink, 60, of Sagamore Beach, made his way through the crowd to shake her hand and wish her luck in the upcoming election.

``We should see more governors down this way," he said after she moved on. ``It lets people know that they care. A lot of times, people don't come over the bridge."

Russell Nichols can be reached at rnichols@globe.com.