October 29, 2005

Virginia governor candidate Tim Kaine spins, misses on pro-illegal immigration stance

The WaPo reports on a new ad from Republican Virginia gubanatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore in "Ad Attacks Kaine on Immigrant Issues". Obviously, it should be "illegal immigration issues", but, well, that's just how the WaPo sees things.

"Illegal immigration: a growing crisis," the ad's narrator says. "Kaine favors taxpayer-funded job centers and supports in-state tuition discounts for illegals. Taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants? What part of 'illegal' does Tim Kaine not understand?"

They object to that ad:

But Kaine's campaign aides said the ad distorts the facts. The Democrat has said local governments -- not the state -- should decide whether to use public funding for day-laborer sites, such as the one that was approved in Herndon in August, the aides said.

That's just a dodge. Kaine could blame local Herndon officials, as well officials in any other town that decided to spend public money helping illegal immigration gain a foothold in their communities. Someone needs to take a stand, and Kaine isn't up to the task.

And they said that Kaine opposes in-state tuition for immigrants in the country illegally. He would make an exception for tax-paying immigrants brought to the country by their parents and educated in the state's public schools, provided they were seeking to legalize their status. Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) vetoed a bill that would have barred illegal immigrants from the tuition benefits in 2003 because it did not grant this exception.

So, under the Kaine plan, millions of illegal aliens could bring their teenage children here, stay a while, and then as long as they made an amorphous pledge get discounted college educations?

And, since there are only a finite number of such discounts available, what would Timothy Kaine say to those American citizens who had their discount taken away by a citizen of some other country?

Previously: "VA: Kilgore, Kaine pledge to crack down on illegal alien employers" and "WaPo Virginia poll: only 8% support illegal alien hiring halls".

Posted to Immigration2005b at October 29, 2005 11:54 AM

Comments

This shows how vulnerable mainstream politicians are on the net public subsidy of foreign criminals here. It depends on a kind of omerta, to keep going as at present. The administration may try to enforce personal loyalty; but then the left can use issues like this to take out Bush loyalists. Net public subsidy has been a potentially convulsive issue, for a very long time; so much so that, it has been necessary to even deny that there are any immigrants on net public subsidy, or assisted immigration.

Posted by: John S Bolton at October 30, 2005 03:14 AM

"provided they were seeking to legalize their status"

How much more absurd can things possibly get? Answer: Just wait and see.

Posted by: eh at October 31, 2005 12:59 AM