Brady has little to say on immigration 'crisis'
By DEANNA BELLANDI
The Associated Press
Posted Sep 15, 2010 @ 08:53 PM

BERWYN — The Republican candidate for Illinois governor, state Sen. Bill Brady, said Wednesday he doesn't support amnesty for illegal immigrants, but he wouldn't say much else about immigration reform.

The Bloomington lawmaker said reform is needed at the federal level because there is a "serious crisis," but he was short on specifics about what that reform should look like when asked about it by a reporter at an event marking Hispanic Heritage Month.

He also wouldn't say what should be done about the illegal immigrants who are already in the country.

"This is going to require a federal reform package. As governor of the state of Illinois, I'll work with other governors and the United States' Congress and the president to bring about meaningful reform to take care of this problem," he said.

A Pew Hispanic Center study has estimated Illinois had about 525,000 illegal immigrants in 2009.

Gov. Pat Quinn, Brady's Democratic opponent in November, supports reforms that allow undocumented immigrants, who are otherwise lawful, to get the opportunity for citizenship after paying a fine and learning English, said Quinn campaign spokeswoman Mica Matsoff.

Matsoff, in a statement, said Quinn believes any comprehensive immigration reforms also should secure the country's borders and hold businesses accountable for "exploiting" undocumented workers.

Matsoff said Quinn is "strongly against" Arizona's new immigration law. In May, Brady said he didn't have an opinion on the Arizona law and he said Wednesday that his position had not changed.

Some Latino supporters at Brady's event said immigration wasn't a core issue for them in the Illinois governor's race. For Lou Sandoval of Chicago, who owns a boat dealership, it's about what he calls Illinois' "toxic" business climate.

"Right now, it doesn't matter whether you're brown, blue, pink or whichever. If you don't have a job right now, you're very disadvantaged," said Sandoval, one of a couple dozen supporters who gathered in the parking lot of a Harley-Davidson dealership in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn.

But some in the Hispanic community have been upset that President Barack Obama and Congress have not moved fast enough on immigration reform legislation.

Some of the only details Brady would offer about reform measures he prefers are that the United States must protect its borders and open the door to legal immigration.

He wouldn't say if he would support the DREAM Act, which could give young people a path to citizenship. The act would allow those who came to the U.S. illegally before they were 16 to attend college or join the military to become citizens.

"Again, we need to work on an entire federal reform package and I'm not in a position to say yet," Brady said.

Brady voted in the Illinois Legislature for a law that lets the children of illegal immigrants attend state universities and community colleges at the cheaper in-state tuition rate after graduating from a high school in the state.

He said he doesn't support letting illegal immigrants get driver's licenses because of security issues.

The Illinois governor's race also includes the Green Party's Rich Whitney, who says on his campaign website that pathways to legal citizenship should be easier for undocumented residents.

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