Thread: On Va. House Panel, a Stampede Against Illegal Immigration

By Marc Fisher
Thursday, January 31, 2008; Page B01 - RICHMOND

M ove 'em on, head 'em up,

Head 'em up, move 'em on

The herd in question consists of bills -- bills aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants, bills being corralled through the gates of the Virginia legislature. You can just about hear the theme song from the classic TV western "Rawhide" as these bills, dozens and dozens of them, move through the House Rules Committee at a rate of about one every three minutes.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Debate? Who needs it? Votes? A quick muttering of "yea" does the trick. Hardly anyone at a committee meeting this week bothers to demur.

Eager to send the message that Virginia is not for illegal immigrants, lawmakers have loaded the General Assembly's session with all manner of ways to make the state unappealing to foreigners who don't have permission to be in the country.

If all the bills pass, illegal immigrants would be banned from enrolling in public colleges, barred from getting a mortgage on a house and liable to be fired if they don't speak English at work. There's even a resolution, by Sen. Ken Cuccinelli II, the Fairfax Republican, to ask Congress to initiate a change to the 14th Amendment so that citizenship would no longer be granted automatically to anyone born in the United States. At least one parent would have to be a citizen before a child could be eligible for citizenship at birth.

"I'd like us to make Virginia the most welcoming place in the country for people who come here legally," says Del. Jeff Frederick, a Prince William Republican. "And Virginia is going to be the least hospitable place for those who break the law."

Not all of the bills are aimed directly at illegal immigrants. The proposals include measures that would turn huge numbers of Virginians into surrogate enforcement agents. Prison officials, police officers, state contractors and other employers would have to check whether potential employees are in the country legally. It would become a felony to "harbor, transport or conceal an illegal alien." Anyone in a state-regulated industry caught with an illegal immigrant on the payroll would face fines of up to $10,000 per violation.

If you sought to change your name legally, you'd have to prove your citizenship. Same if you applied for a driver's license, tax exemption or contractor's license. Colleges would have to check freshmen's birth certificates and report the results on a public Web site.

The article continues on page 2 but too long to post it here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 03358.html

I really hope they pass. I'm happy to see so many states getting on board. It gives me more selection of where to relocate.

Hmm, maybe my husband and I will stay a little longer in Northern Virginia then. If not, we're out of here as soon as our son graduates from high school.

Don't know where we'll go, but surely anywhere is better than New El Salvador (Arlington).

I left a nice comment at the Post .. ..I hope some of us here can find the time today to do the same.

1. This is the website to sign up for in VA

http://www.savetheolddominion.org

2. Yesterday a committee killed the E-verify bill 13-2 - I will be emailing/calling some of them to ask why they gave into the business lobby. Should I post the 13 phone numbers here too?

[i]The Senate Courts of Justice Committee killed Senator Colgan’s SB 90 which would have required that Virginia employers use the federal E-Verify system today on a 13-2 vote. This one wasn’t even close, with all Republicans other than Obenshain and Cuccinelli voting to “pass by indefinitelyâ€

Thanks, Stealth. As I am a Virginia taxpayer now, this is exactly the org I need to join and get active in. It's got to be won at the local level ...God knows our top level is, like your favorite choice at the vending machine:

SOLD OUT.

I have just started working after a long break as a student, and I cannot believe the amount of taxes I'm paying to put these freaks through school, pay them to have their babies, etc, etc. Our hospital is being overrun by them, meanwhile the hospital could really, really use some renovation. I doubt it can be justfied with all the money being spent on illegals there.

Rawhide, the original song:
http://www.kfcplainfield.com/sound/rawhide.wav

Wow, after reading through some of these blogs,it's apparent the problem is as deep rooted at the local level as it is at the top.

Business owners just too in love with their profits to LET GO, and so willing to pressure lawmakers, oh too willing to cave. Lawmakers bring up the bills, knowing full well they'll never be passed.

Geez, America is just being sold out by itself ... everywhere.

Originally Posted by jjmm

Hmm, maybe my husband and I will stay a little longer in Northern Virginia then. If not, we're out of here as soon as our son graduates from high school.

Don't know where we'll go, but surely anywhere is better than New El Salvador (Arlington).

I left a nice comment at the Post .. ..I hope some of us here can find the time today to do the same.

Heehee. So did I.

GOOD NEWS FOR VIRGINIA. I WISH MARYLAND WOULD DO THE SAME THING!

I'ts funny -- 99% of the respondents are 100% in favor of Virginia's lawmakers trying to bring up these bills. Except for the one or two wayward bleeding hearts, most people are in favor of this and can see right through the reporter.

That's why I can't figure out HOW IN THE HELL McClown is winning here.