Commission On Immigration Membership Announced
By Greg L | 27 June 2007 | Illegal Aliens, Virginia Politics | 4 Comments
One of the few bills on the subject of illegal aliens to pass the General Assembly was HB1673 which created a commission on immigration, and sponsored by Delegate Bob Marshall. Today Speaker Howell announced who would be appointed to this commission, and it’s pretty much a mix between strong advocates for and against illegal aliens. Of the six members, five are members of the House of Delegates, and here’s how they voted on some key pieces of legislation on this subject:
| Delegate | HB2937 vote | HB2448 vote | HB1970 vote | HB2622 vote |
| Bob Marshall | Y | Y | N | Y |
| Todd Gilbert | NV | Y | Y | Y |
| Jackson Miller | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Dwight Jones | N | NV | NV | NV |
| Roslyn Tyler | N | Y | N | Y |
HB2937 proposed that taxpayer dollars not be used by charities to provide support for illegal aliens.
HB2448 proposed that the State of Virginia participate in the Section 287(g) Program.
HB1970 proposed that being an illegal alien would be punishable under state law.
HB2622 proposed penalties on those who knowingly harbor illegal aliens.
All of these bills passed the House of Delegates with strong majorities, only to be killed in the Senate. Opposing any of these bills put that legislator in a minority of no more than 30 out of 100 delegates, and in some case far fewer. The makeup of this board, while it is relatively “balanced”, is not very representative of the House of Delegates as a whole and seems to proportionally favor those who support illegal aliens over those who oppose their presence in the state. Given this makeup, it’s going to be virtually impossible to forge much in the way of consensus.
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4 Comments
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The no votes on HB1970 are ridiculous! Being an illegal alien is a criminal activity (let alone identity theft, benefits theft, etc. that go hand in hand with it).
who is the 6th member?
I disagree, Greg. Of the Democrats they could have chosen for this panel (proportional representation is the norm) these two are probably the best the GOP members could ask for. Tyler and Jones know nothing about immigration, and the GOP members are very well-versed on the subject.
It could have been much worse - you could have seen a powerhouse like Kenny Melvin or Brian Moran on there, which would have really made your life miserable.
NJH
Some of the provisions of HB 1970 had been rejected by the US Supreme Court. Since the late 19th century states have had no direct jurisdiction over immigration policies because of Congressional pre-emption.
In my judgment there is no utility in voting for a bill so obviously headed for a loss in the federal courts.
Delegate Bob Marshall