Today, the Washington Post lead editorial blasts Jerry Kilgore and praises Tim Kaine for their respective statements and positions on immigration. With regard to Herndon's decision to build a gathering spot for "day laborers" -- an initiative that, I would point out, was pushed by a grassroots, faith-based group -- the Post says that Kilgore "knew a wedge issue when he saw one," and he "pounced." In contrast to Kilgore's "nativism and opportunism," Tim Kaine "charted a middle course," in the Post's view. [Interestingly, President Bush and many Republicans differ with Jerry Kilgore on this issue as well. Talk about a "wedge issue" - for the Republicans, that is!]So who's responsible for illegal immigration? Should Herndon start patrolling its borders, possibly setting up its own little INS on the border with Reston or Chantilly or whatever? Is the Commonwealth of Virginia responsible? Should we be sending the Virginia National Guard to reinforce the border with North Carolina, pronto? Obviously not. As all of us who studied civics in High School know, immigration is the responsibility of the FEDERAL government. Which, last time I checked, has been controlled by conservative Republicans since 2001. Also, let's not forget Econ 101 class, something Jerry Kilgore appears to have done. As the Post points out (bolding added for emphasis):
The federal government's failure to enforce its own immigration laws and police the borders has dumped tough immigration problems on the states. So has the failure to reconcile the robust demand for cheap labor in a number of states, including Virginia, with the unrealistically minuscule number of visas granted each year for unskilled workers. The American economy wants and needs low-wage workers, but the government has done nothing to legalize their entry or status here.
So why did Jerry Kilgore getting involved in a local issue which the good people of Herndon were handling just fine, thank you? Again, can we say "opportunism" and also the demagogic influence of top Kilgore advisor Scott "Black Hands racist ad" Howell behind the scenes? As the Post points out:
Mr. Kilgore's across-the-board hostility toward undocumented immigrants strikes us as gratuitous and over the top. Hounding Herndon on its day-laborer center is populist nonsense: Would he prefer the status quo ante, when day laborers thronged cars and clamored for jobs in a convenience store parking lot?
After praising Tim Kaine for staying out of Herndon's business and "plac[ing] the blame for the problem and the burden for its solution where it properly belongs: with the federal government," the Post concludes:
Mr. Kilgore, by contrast, prefers posturing on illegal immigration, without regard to the resentments that may be stirred up toward immigrants generally. In seeking to crack down on and evict undocumented workers, Mr. Kilgore should bear the burden of explaining how the employment market would replace them.
Ahhh...the "politics of immigration," Jerry Kilgore/Scott "Black Hands" Howell style. Not a pretty picture.