Handle Immigration Bills With Care, Kaine Urges

RICHMOND, Jan. 31 -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine predicted that many of what he called "mean-spirited" proposals to crack down on illegal immigrants will not make it through the General Assembly this year.

In an interview with Washington Post reporters and editors, the governor said he understands why many Virginians are frustrated with the rise in illegal immigration. He said he could support some proposals but is worried that many of what he considered draconian bills would hurt Virginia's economy and reputation.

"We have to be so careful about this," Kaine (D) said. "We can't let these immigrant bills go overboard and paint this picture that we are hostile to new Americans. . . . We can't afford to go over the top on the rhetoric here."

For example, Kaine said, one proposal would require state publications to be printed only in English.

"Tourism is one of the biggest industries in Virginia," he said. "But hey, we are not going to publish any materials in foreign languages?"

In the interview Wednesday, Kaine also talked about the troubled Dulles rail project, his support for the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and the fate of his legislative priorities.

After an election in which many candidates promised to crack down on illegal immigrants, more than 100 immigration-related bills were introduced in the House and 25 in the Senate.

The Democratic-controlled Senate has killed a number of bills, such as one that would allow employers to fire workers if they speak a language other than English at work. Another would limit illegal immigrants' access to public colleges, even though no one has cited evidence of a problem.

Kaine said he would consider bills to deny bail to illegal immigrants and penalize employers for knowingly hiring illegal immigrants but not ones that deny immigrants access to education and social services. He said he would not sign into law any "goofy," harsh or punitive bills.

In response, House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) said illegal immigration is a serious problem that requires states to do whatever they can to address it.

"If the Democrats wish to say that they embrace the illegal immigrants and think it's okay to violate the laws of the commonwealth and of the nation, then that's something they have to choose to do. But as for me, I would choose that we uphold the law," Griffith said.

Kaine said he gets frustrated when legislators and others accuse the state of not doing anything to combat illegal immigration. State prison employees refer foreign-born defendants to the federal government, Department of Motor Vehicles workers check new applicants for proof of citizenship or legal presence, and National Guardsmen from Virginia are stationed at the Mexican border, Kaine said.