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Gubernatorial candidate takes unprecedentedly tough stand on illegals
Jerry Kilgore, Republican nominee for governor of Virginia, is taking the strongest anti-illegal alien positions of any high official or any mainstream candidate for high office in this country that I’ve ever heard of. In fact, his stands seem nothing short of radical. In a meeting with the editors of the Washington Times yesterday, Kilgore, a former state attorney general, said he would use state troopers to enforce laws against illegal aliens in Arlington County (the officials of which have said they will not check the immigration status of arrested persons) or any other locality that fails to do so, and that he will seek legislation and an agreement with the U.S. Homeland Security Department allowing state troopers to detain and deport illegals. This is a major departure from the usual idea that only federal authorities can enforce federal immigration laws. I don’t know the legalities of this, but it seems entirely appropriate and sensible that states be able to enforce these laws as much as the federal government, especially since the federal government is manifestly not doing its job in this area. Another radical departure is Kilgore’s pledge to seek to deny state contracts to businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens. The usual thing in today’s America is that companies are deprived of state contracts for not hiring enough unqualified minorities. Kilgore, by contrast, wants to punish companies if they hire minorities (as well as whites) who are unqualified to be in this country. “Right is right,” he said. “If businesses need more workers, then go to Congress and make sure people come here legally. We need to know from a public-safety standpoint who is here and why they are here and when they’re supposed to leave.”
Perhaps we’ve just found a VP candidate for Tancredo ‘08. Email entry |