Thread: VA: In House and hallways, immigrant issue is back

In House and hallways, immigrant issue is back

The Virginian-Pilot
February 9, 2011
BY JOANNE KIMBERLIN
RICHMOND, VA

Spurred by a tough economy, the House of Delegates on Tuesday approved nearly a dozen bills intended to block Virginia's estimated 200,000 illegal immigrants from taking scarce jobs, filling precious college seats and tapping into the strained budgets of public assistance.

As the stack of bills demonstrates, the distractions of unemployment and foreclosure haven't ended the debate over illegal immigration.

They've only slipped it inside a new frame.

The chairman of a House subcommittee put it this way during a recent hearing:

"I have a moral responsibility to focus on the needs of legal residents, especially in difficult economic times," said Del. Todd Gilbert, a Republican from Rappahannock.

Applause erupted in the audience after the comments of Gilbert's fellow panelist, Del. Jackson Miller, a Republican from Manassas:

"If you are here in the state illegally, We would hope you leave."

Altogether, nearly 30 bills affecting the illegal immigrant community surfaced during this session of the General Assembly. That's far below the high-water mark of 2008, when 134 were on the docket - a flood unleashed after an illegal immigrant killed two Virginia Beach teenagers in a car crash in 2007.

But opponents say the bills, even in this year's smaller numbers, create an atmosphere of fear that taints communities and accomplishes little.

"We pick on poor people. We pick on people who need health care. We pick on immigrants," said Del. Patrick Hope, a Democrat from Arlington County.

Last week, hoping to head off the tide of bills, 11 people from Hampton Roads - mostly white, middle-class, lifelong citizens - "got off the couch" and trekked to the Capitol.

Their only real plan was to not be ignored.

"I like to call this democracy in action," said Teresa Stanley, leader of the South Hampton Roads Chapter of Virginia Organizing, a grass roots group that takes on all sorts of social issues, including illegal immigration.

"The average person thinks they don't have a voice," Stanley said, but banding together and descending on Richmond could change that.

The strategy is not for sissies. The hectic halls of the General Assembly Building - layered with look-alike floors and crowded corridors - are confusing and intimidating to the uninitiated.

Appointments are almost impossible to land. Legislators are swamped with meetings, and too many people want a piece of them in between.

So, armed with a target list of 20 Hampton Roads representatives, Stanley and her group struggled to stay together while jockeying for "drop-ins" - that mini-miracle of a moment when a politician can be cornered in his or her office.

Most in Stanley's band are longtime activist types, like Ken Ehrenthal, a retired teacher from Chesapeake who thinks the federal immigration system is "broken" and its policies are unrealistic.

"We want reform, not punitive laws," Ehrenthal said. "They're not helpful, and they're certainly not the solution."

Beatriz Amberman was the contingent's lone Hispanic. A native of Mexico, she married an American decades ago and settled in Virginia Beach, where she's seen the Latino community mushroom in recent years.

"Some are well-educated people who are legally here," she said.

But as Hispanic numbers grew, so did anti-illegal immigrant sentiment and legislation.

"I understand that people fear what they do not know," Amberman said, "but we all love America. This is a country with kindness in its heart. We take care of even dogs, and we're talking about human beings here."

Time was tight for Stanley's band. At high noon, legislators usually head to the House and Senate chambers , where sessions can last for hours.

The group came up empty-handed at a string of offices. Its quarry was no where in sight, or the chairs were already occupied by others on missions of their own.

It's tough to compete with law enforcement officers, who roam in uniformed packs to buttonhole legislators about their budgets. Or those wine industry folks with their big smiles and free samples.

The politicians' harried aides would have to do, if the group could manage to slow one down long enough to hear a message for the boss. At Del. Matthew James' office, a polite legislative aide nodded while Amberman hammered at the downside of requiring police to enforce immigration laws, Ehrenthal hit the advantages of opening doors to prenatal care, and Tim McCarthy, a retired social worker from Virginia Beach, squeezed in a quick argument for college opportunities.

"A non-educated population becomes a huge burden," he said.

Sandwiched between elevator rides and wrong turns, the pitch was repeated to more than one aide. Only two genuine politicians were ever collared: Paula Miller, D-Norfolk, who paused in a lobby to catch the high points, and Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, who granted the group five minutes inside his office.

The hunt ended when the clock struck noon.

The score: countless handshakes and thank-yous; zero promises to vote their way.

When it comes to illegal immigration - a thorny, emotional issue with strong views on both sides - there seems to be just one area of agreement:

All are frustrated with the federal system.

"The government grevously failed to take steps to protect our borders," said John Kwapisz, director of the Virginia Council for Immigration Reform, a group that favors a more hard-line approach.

"Illegal aliens cost the country and state billions of dollars every year," Kwapisz said. "Punitive laws have been shown to work elsewhere. They push illegals out, and eventually, maybe, back home. We have to take care of the interests of the legal residents and citizens."

Even with the sweeping endorsement of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates - the bills passed by a ratio of 3-1 - the measures are a long way from becoming law.

Some forecasts predict they may likely to sink in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Either way, next year's session is likely to see Stanley and her group again.

"Sometimes it feels frustrating and overwhelming, but ultimately, you do chip away at things," she said. "One thing is for sure: If all of us just stay home, we'll get the kind of society we deserve."

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"I understand that people fear what they do not know," Amberman said, "but we all love America. This is a country with kindness in its heart. We take care of even dogs, and we're talking about human beings here."

My dogs are here legally. They don't collect welfare. Their offspring are not burdens on the American public. I am responsible for their feeding and medical needs and do not request handouts from citizens and legal immigrants.

"If you are here in the state illegally, We would hope you leave."

Telling them to leave is like talking to the side of a wall, make them leave or fix it so they will be more than happy to leave.

Those people will not stay where they cannot seek employment, take that away and you wont have to do anything else because they will leave freely.