Debate Over Day Laborer Sites in N.Va.

Washington Post staff writer Michael D. Shear reports in Tuesday's Washington Post:

"Republican gubernatorial candidate Jerry W. Kilgore said Monday that Virginia should not pay for centers to help day laborers, calling them the latest examples of society rewarding illegal immigrants.

"Kilgore said the creation of publicly financed gathering areas such as the one proposed in Herndon undermines the rule of law and "denigrates" citizens who immigrated to the country legally.

"'We face a fundamental decision in Virginia,' Kilgore told reporters in a conference call. 'Will we reward illegal behavior with hard-earned dollars from law-abiding citizens? I say the answer to this question should be an easy one: No.'

"With three months left until the Nov. 8 election, Kilgore's comments injected a volatile issue into the statewide campaign. By objecting to the proposed day laborer site in Herndon, Kilgore transformed an issue for 23,000 residents of Herndon into a statewide debate on questions that encompass law and ethnicity."

Read the full story

Shear was online Tuesday, August 9, at Noon ET to discuss the remarks made by the Republican gubernatorial candidate on Monday.

The transcript follows.

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Michael D. Shear: Good afternoon everyone.

It's still the dog days of summer and Virginia campaigns don't normally heat up until after Labor Day. But that doesn't seem to be stopping any of the candidates for governor this year. So let's talk about Jerry Kilgore's comments yesterday about the controversy surrounding day-laborer sites. Or anything else you want to discuss about the campaign.

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Virginia: Can you provide some background into the debate over day laborers in N. Virginia? Did Kilgore's comments essentially start this debate or has it been ongoing? Thanks - I'm just catching up on this now ...

Michael D. Shear: This might be a good one to start with.

Kilgore's comments did not start this debate. Rather, they amplified it and took it to a new level. The recent debate started in Herndon, where local officials are trying to figure out how to deal with day laborers who congregate at a local 7-11. The idea is to create a center where those same folks who are waiting to get construction or other jobs for the day can wait.

We're putting up a couple of links to stories that we have published recently.

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washingtonpost.com:

Day Laborers Enter Fray Over Job Site (Post, August 2)

Herndon Roiled by Site for Laborers (Post, July 31)

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Arlington, Va.: Generally speaking, what has the reaction been to Kilgore's comments? Do you think this will hurt his campaign? Help it? Not make much difference?

Michael D. Shear: This is really an interesting question, and one that I don't think anyone knows right now.

Initial reaction was to be expected. The supporters of the day-laborer sites criticized Kilgore. The opponents hailed him. But the unknown is how this will play out with the broader electorate. What about the so-called soccer moms? Or the legal immigrant community? Or the moderate swing voters in the outer suburbs.

Kilgore is apparently banking on this helping him in Northern Virginia. As I reported in today's story, the experience is mixed nationally for candidates who take a hard line on illegal immigration.

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washingtonpost.com: Herndon Panel Weighs New Day-Laborer Site (Post, August 4)

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Washington, D.C.: What strikes me is that everyone seems focused on the day laborers. Why hasn't anyone proposed sending INS/ICE after the employers who HIRE them? Why not go after BOTH employer and employee? If they fined the employers significantly they would solve the day laborer problem.

Michael D. Shear: This question was posed to Kilgore by reporters at the news conference he held yesterday. His response was that it is indeed illegal to hire undocumented workers but that "we haven't gotten that far down the road" in regards to a crackdown on employers.

The politics of that are, of course, daunting, since many of the same corporations, farms and other businesses which might employ illegal immigrants are the same ones which contribute heavily to political campaigns.

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washingtonpost.com: N.Va. Leaders Advise Kilgore To Stay Out of Laborer Debate (Post, August 9)

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Clifton, Va.: I was leaning toward voting Democratic in the election for gov this Nov. because I felt Kilgore was just too conservative for my independent tastes. Don't like the religious right and Falwell and Robertson disciples. I am a Catholic pro life, and against the death penalty. Kilgore's recent pronouncements regarding the problem in Herndon just got my vote.

Michael D. Shear: This is exactly the kind of voter that Kilgore hopes to attract with this issue.

At the same time, Kilgore is not a johnny-come-lately to this stand on illegal immigration. He has been consistently opposed to providing benefits to undocumented residents. He championed an effort to deny illegal immigrants in-state tuition several years ago, and has worked in that directon for years. So while he's surely aware of the electoral impact it could have, most people think he's a true believer.

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Arlington, Va.: I love rooting for the little guy in the campaign. Has Russ Potts weighed in on the day labrorer issue at all?

I have to say, I'm happy that for once, the candidates are talking about Northern Virginia's issues. I feel like this section of the state gets short shrift, considering our economic weight.

Michael D. Shear: I'm going to take any opportunity I can to write about Russ Potts, who always provides good copy.

He has indeed weighed in on this issue. In today's story, I quote him as calling Kilgore's comments "a sound-bite, hot-button wedge issue . . . that takes people's minds off what the real issues are: transportation, education and health care."

That's Potts' M.O. -- His campaign is based on the idea that the other two candidates -- Kilgore and Democrat Tim Kaine -- are ducking the serious challenges that Virginia faces and aren't offering real solutions. He believes that if he can get enough voters to believe that, he's got a chance.

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Fairfax, Va.: Kilgore's posturings seem to be aimed at inciting voter prejudice, a typical Republican tactic, locally and nationally. Are the Democrats going to confront Kilgore by explaining what options realistically are available to local officials; and are they encouraging local employers to speak out since they depend on the low-cost labor supply the workers offer?

Michael D. Shear: The interesting thing here is the Democratic response. It's been very muted so far. The Kaine Communications Machine, which can usually churn up a response within moments of a Kilgore action, was strangely silent yesterday.

A Kaine spokeswoman said Kilgore is "putting a political ideology over a practical solution." She said Kaine supports the right of local governments to spend taxpayer money on these centers if they want. But that's all. Stay tuned, though. There's plenty of time for Kaine and the Democrats to engage on this issue.

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washingtonpost.com: Day-Laborer Site Rebuffed (Post, August 5)

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Bethesda, Md.: Not all the day laborers are illegal, and if they are and willing to work they should not be the focus. Let hard working people work. The centers will get laborers off the street and give them the opportunity to add to the community. Isn't that what every generation has done since Columbus brought the first day laborers?

How about employers pay into the cost of the center since they are the ones profitting from paying lower wages?

Michael D. Shear: Good points.

Kilgore, too, has made the point that not all of the day laborers are illegal. He has said that he could support public money for the centers if a screening process could be put into place that ensures that only legal immigrants were using them. He says such a system could mirror what the DMV does when it requires proof of "legal presence" in the country before it issues a drivers license.

The supporters of the center say such a system would be costly and would become unworkable. And they argue it would not solve the problem of unofficial gatherings by illegal immigrants that often occurs now at the 7-11 and other locations.

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Los Angeles, Calif.: Michael -- Thanks for chatting today. Kilgore's comments are just the latest in what seems to be a number of Republicans across the country heating up their rhetoric on illegal immigration. Do you see this continuing -- that is, the GOP making this a central issues in 2006 -- or do you think the national debate will turn to other issues?

Michael D. Shear: This is still an open question, I think.

Folks I talked to yesterday describe a kind of Civil War within the national Republican party on this issue. You have seen it playing out over the past couple of years, with President Bush representing the more moderate wing of the party on immigration and other Republicans pushing for a harder line. Those divisions were not great enough to cost Bush the election, obviously. But it's unclear how much this will rise to the top of the agenda of a party whose leader is not beating the drums.

Maybe they will take a cue from the outcome of the race here in Virginia. If Kilgore succeeds, and if polling shows that illegal immigration helped, then you might see more of that kind of strategy next year.

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Springfield, Va.: Question that has been ignored: Kilgore ASSUMES that all the day workers are illegal immigrants. Does anyone know the facts? In my experience, the majority of immigrants are legal. Is immigrant the new code work for hispanic like states rights was for segregation?

For the record my family immigrated here in 1904 and 1680 (sic). When did Kilgores?

Michael D. Shear: As I think I mentioned in a previous answer, there has been some discussion about the legal status of the day laborers. I am not aware of any statistics that would indicate what percentage of such workers are illegal. (Though if anyone out there in cyberspace knows, I'd be happy to hear from you.)

For now, the debate seems to assume that a significant number of them are not properly documented to be in this country.

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Burke, Va.: Why illegal immigration - why does that seem to be an issue right now?

Michael D. Shear: Initially, the issue was generated by the proposal in Herndon and the public process (planning commission hearings, town council, etc.) that will decide whether the day laborer site is built. That process prompted debate among the communities involved.

But the interesting thing is how a statewide candidate for governor can create issues merely by focusing on them. Kilgore's decision to weigh in on this issue clearly elevates it to a new level. And before I get a lot of comments, the media has a role here, too. The decision to cover this story clearly gives it more attention. I leave it to readers to judge which came first.

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McLean, Va.: Some of your questioners imply that only radical right-wing Republicans have given this issue notice. Not so. In our community, citizens are very concerned about the impacts of illegal immigrants and their costs to taxpayers, impacts on the schools, etc. This Hendon issue is just another example of local government deciding, without a public hearing, to use taxpayer money to subsidize a service to individuals who may be in the Country illegally. Kilgore is right to focus on it; it's a huge problem.

Michael D. Shear: Clearly, the concerns of the community about the impact of illegal immigration are part of this story. And it's those concerns, I think, which prompted Kilgore to leap into this debate. I do believe, though, that public hearings are being held before the center can be built.

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Arlington, Va.: I have not heard any of the three candidates weigh in on the success or failure of the one day laborer site in Virginia that does receive government money: the site in South Arlington. I live down the block from this site and -- from my perspective -- it seems like an unqualified success. However, I'd be interested in the candidate's take. Have any referenced this site in their comments?

Michael D. Shear: Kilgore did respond to a question during yesterday's news conference about the Arlington site. He said he would have a problem with that one, too, if it is publicly supported though he indicated he had little information about it.

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Annandale, Va.: Where's the "religious right" on this issue? Given Leviticus 19:35 ("The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.") and Hebrews 13:2 ("Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.") they ought to be in this discussion.

Michael D. Shear: Interesting question. Haven't heard anyone mention those Biblical references in the context of this debate yet.

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washingtonpost.com: Day Laborers to Protest Va. Arrests (Post, Nov. 19)

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Reston, Va.: Kilgore has just taken the politically expedient thing and gone back to the Republican "traditional values" of racism and prejudice. The citizens of Herndon are struggling with a serious issue. Their downtown is filled with people looking for jobs, but to any visitor it appears like a mob of loiterers. Herndon's proposed solution is to build a facility that makes the downtown more appealing, helps the workers, and provides a source for some much-needed affordable labor in our area. Furthermore, the situation becomes supervised and regulated. It's a great sound-bite, but Kilgore is doing a disservice to our region. He won't get my vote.

Michael D. Shear: This is the kind of reaction Kilgore is definitely not looking for. Experts I talked to yesterday suggested that candidates who go after illegal immigration sometimes see a backlash, especially in legal immigrant communities. That happened in California, after that state's debate over referendums to limit immigration. And it could happen in Northern Virginia, where the size of the immigrant community has been growing recently.

We'll have to wait until Nov. 8 to see how it plays out.

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Virginia: When do we vote? Tuesday November 8th?

Michael D. Shear: Ha. I beat you to it. (See my previous answer)

But yes. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. And if history is any guide, far too few people will go to the polls.

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Clintwood, Va.: You said: "Kilgore is apparently banking on this helping him in Northern Virginia."

I found your opinion on that interesting because I figured this position was more part of Kilgore's rural strategy.

Don't you think Kilgore's stance on immigration will help him a lot in rural Virginia, where people are already hard pressed to find jobs? Kilgore can use the old line that he "is saving jobs for Virginia's citizens." Which those people that actually know will realize is incorrect since very few immigrants are in rural areas.

Michael D. Shear: Good point.

The focus so far has been in Northern Virginia, where the debate over the Herndon day laborer site has been very heated.

But you're right that immigration is an issue throughout the state, and it's possible that Kilgore sees this as something that could help him everywhere. Part of my thinking has been that Kilgore -- who comes from a small, rural town in Southwest Virginia -- appears to think he will have less trouble in that part of the state anyway.

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Michael D. Shear: That's about all we have time for today. Thanks for engaging questions. Keep reading the Post for more coverage of this and other issues in the campaign. And for non-stop coverage, sign onto our campaign blog, Race to Richmond, which can be found on the Metro Section of the Post Web site.

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washingtonpost.com: Race to Richmond: Notes From the Virginia Governor's Race

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