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Kaine discusses faith, Hispanics


By DANIEL GILBERT
dgilbert@potomacnews.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2005


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The religious faith of Governor-elect Tim Kaine received widespread attention during the gubernatorial campaign. Kaine spoke with the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger about his experiences as a missionary in Honduras, and the trajectory that landed him in the governor's house in Richmond.

Potomac News: You took a break from Harvard Law School to do missionary work in Honduras. What led to your decision?

Tim Kaine: I was in law school and I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I had spent a week in Honduras as a high school student -- I went to a Jesuit high school -- and always thought I might go be a volunteer. I felt like I needed to get some spiritual and vocational orientation, and so I went to a Jesuit mission in Honduras.

PN: How did you like Central America?

TK: I loved it, I loved the opportunity to become better in Spanish. I spent most of my time in Honduras, but I traveled a lot within the country. I was also principal at a welding and carpentry school in a town called El Progeso. I'm not much of a carpenter myself, but I could hold my own with the 14- and 15-year-olds there. Also, my dad used to run a welding and iron-working shop.

PN: What lessons did you learn in Honduras, and have you applied them to other aspects of your life, both political and personal?

TK: I spent a lot of time with people who had nothing, where children were dying of malnutrition, but where people still had very strong faith. I didn't have much adversity in my life, nor did I have a strong faith-life. The religious faith of the people made a huge impression on me. Jim O'Leary, a Jesuit missionary who lived in Honduras for 40 years, was a real "man for others," the happiest person I've known in my life. I think that the influence of someone who was so giving, in a way, made a public servant of me.

PN: You spoke Spanish in your campaign ads. Do you have plans to reach out to the Hispanic community in the state?

TK: Absolutely. I like to do Spanish radio shows, programs on TV, and I'm planning on keeping up my Spanish. I also plan to involve folks from different cultural backgrounds in my cabinet, including those of Latino origin. The Latino culture is something I really enjoy knowing about.

PN: There are an estimated 200,000 illegal immigrants in Virginia. Will you leave immigration policy to the federal government, or do you plan to address it at the state and local levels as well?

TK: I have supported a series of things at state level, like tightening up the process to get a driver's license. Most of the hijackers on 9/11 got driver's licenses in Virginia. We've made it tough to get a driver's license in Virginia without being a legal citizen. The fundamental problem has nothing to do with something the state of Virginia did wrong; it is because the federal government refuses to enforce immigration law. I am not going to let the feds off the hook. What they are doing is pushing the burden of illegal immigration onto the shoulders of the state. My main focus is to really push the federal government to really do their job.

PN: Where do you stand on the issue of formal employment centers for day laborers?

TK: I have been very clear that I am not going to support state funds to support facilities of adults who are not documented. This is a general rule. There are exceptions, of course, for the sick. If someone has tuberculosis and needs medical care, that's a different issue.

PN: Any closing words on the subject?

TK: Virginia is a place of welcome. I am against illegal immigration, but I sometimes worry about people going on an anti-immigrant kick, which is contrary to the soul of the commonwealth. In the gubernatorial campaign, a lot of citizens told me how disturbed they were about immigration ads that were run in the campaign. If we get to a place where because of someone's accent -- or last name, or how they look -- they are not welcome in this country, then the commonwealth will be worse off for it.