Bill passes through the House that would prohibit immigrants from attending public colleges in VA

WTKR-TV3
February 9, 2011
NORFOLK, VA

A bill passed in the House of Delegates Tuesday that will prohibit illegal immigrants from attending public colleges in Virginia.

Tim McCarthy is part of Virginia Organizing, a group lobbying against this and other illegal immigration bills passed in the House.

"We think they should be given that opportunity, otherwise it's a way of kind of denying not only them but ourselves of the full contribution that they could make it our country," McCarthy says.

Rallies have been held at universities throughout Virginia for the past week opposing the bill.

The bill dealing with colleges is just one in a long list of bills dealing with illegal immigration that were passed in the House of Delegates.

One bill will require local school boards to report the number of students who cannot provide a birth certificate when they enroll.

Another will allow state police to perform federal immigration enforcement functions.

McCarthy says, "It's not in our best interest economically or for us as a people."

It's an issue important to McCarthy personally.

"My own grandparents came here and they were not documented by they raised their family and now their great-grandchildren and their grandchildren all make a significant contribution," he says.

Jose Bieno immigrated here a little more recently. He came to the United States from Cuba in 1980.

He says he's not worried since he's here legally, but that's not the case for many others.

"I know too many that are scared," Bieno says.

He says they want a chance to make a life for themselves.

"We come here and work hard. This is what we're doing here," he says.

McCarthy says the country needs immigration reform, but these bills aren't it.

He says, "We're a very compassionate nation and we're at our best when we embrace the issues of diversity and inclusion and when we welcome the stranger among us, we're a nation of immigrants."

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