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(Please pass this message on to anyone you know who lives in Virginia and opposes rewarding illegal aliens with Virginia driver's licenses and taxpayer-subsidized college benefits.)

Call Governor Warner and Ask Him to Sign HB 1954 and HB 2339 into Law

Thanks to the work of determined activists in Virginia, two good bills have passed through the Virginia General Assembly and are awaiting Governor Warner's signature. If signed by Governor Warner and enacted into law, these bills would prevent most illegal aliens from getting Virginia driver's licenses and taxpayer-funded in-state tuition benefits at Virginia colleges. Governor Warner is facing immense pressure from open-borders advocates and special interests to veto these bills. We need your calls, letters, faxes, and letters to the editor to show Governor Warner that Virginia residents support these bills and oppose giving Virginia driver's licenses and taxpayer-subsidized reduced tuition rates to people who have broken our immigration laws!

CALL TO ACTION:

The most important thing you can do right now is call Governor Warner at (804) 786-2211 and ask him to sign HB 1954 (legislation to prevent illegal aliens and potential terrorists from getting Virginia driver's licenses) and HB 2339 (legislation barring in-state tuition for illegal aliens) into law. All calls made to Governor Warner's office in support or opposition of these bills are tallied, so every call counts! There are three points you need to make in your message: 1) state that you are a concerned Virginia resident; 2) ask Governor Warner to sign HB 1954 and HB 2339 into law; 3) explain why it is so important that these bills pass.

Sample Message:

"I am a concerned Virginia resident calling to urge Governor Warner to sign HB 1954 because it would prevent potential terrorists and illegal aliens from using Virginia licenses to operate here outside the law.

I am also asking Governor Warner to sign HB 2339 because it is unfair to reward people who have broken our immigration laws with taxpayer-subsidized reduced tuition benefits, while denying tuition breaks to non-resident U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents."

If you would like to take further action, follow up your phone call with a personal letter. Use the talking points below to craft your message.

Governor Mark R. Warner State Capitol, 3rd Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone (804) 786-2211 Fax: (804) 371-6351

TALKING POINTS:

Use these talking points for HB 1954 (legislation to prevent illegal aliens and potential terrorists from getting Virginia driver's licenses):

The 19 September 11 hijackers possessed at least 60 state driver's licenses which they used to facilitate their terrorist activists - seven of which were Virginia driver's licenses.

A driver's license is a "breeder" document. It enables the bearer to secure employment, register to vote, transact financial business, and board an airplane, among other things.

Giving an illegal alien a driver's license gives them a virtual foot in the door for remaining illegally in the U.S and encourages more people to enter the U.S. illegally.

Someone who has openly violated federal immigration laws by being in the country illegally is not going to have any more respect for state driving laws.

Illegal aliens who drive without a license should first be punished for doing so and then deported for violating federal immigration laws.

Use these talking points for HB 2339 (legislation barring in-state tuition for illegal aliens):

Sign HB 2339 into law because giving illegal aliens taxpayer-subsidized reduced tuition rates:

Takes college seats away from law-abiding U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.

Is unlawful - federal law bars granting in-state tuition to illegal aliens without also providing in-state tuition for non-resident U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

Sends a message to the rest of the world that the United States does not take its immigration laws seriously, thereby encouraging more people to enter illegally.

Is a slap in the face to those who play by the rules, waiting in line to immigrate legally.

If you can help with urgently needed activism in Virginia regarding these bills, please call V-CAT Bob (Virginia Coalition Against Terrorim) at 703-242-9722.

Thank you for your service to our Country!

Please forward this message to interested friends, acquaintances, and email lists.

You can also post an email message on Warner's website here.

Welcome to Free Republic!

In terms of how to get your message out, you'll probably not want to use "Breaking News" -- they'll bounce you from there because this isn't. But you probably *will* want to click on "Virginia" for state chapters so Virginia Freepers find out about this.

I would think that a U.S. citizen or legal resident alien who is a resident of another state could sue Virginia on an equal protection clause theory, since they are only charging out-of-state tuition to non-residents who are citizens or legitimate resident aliens.

I would be pi$$ed off if he doesn't. My son and his family live in New Jersey. We ARE citizens of the United States and pay BIG bucks ( after taxes) for him to attend Va.Tech .If some alien qualifies for in-state tuition , then he might as well give up his citizenship (he is legal age ) and claim alien status.

That's amazing. We're fighting the exact OPPOSITE legislation here, in Maryland. There's a new bill being proposed that would LESSEN the "burdens" on illegal aliens, vis a vis driver's liscences and in-state tuition.

Good for VA though; I hope these get passed.

ping

Besides the obvious benefits of the proposed law, we should also look at the Law of Unintended Consequences:

1. Fewer drivers carrying insurance.

If illegal aliens are not allowed to have a driver’s license, then they cannot buy insurance.
As a matter of fact, in order to keep their driver’s license, many states require proof of current insurance.
No motivation for buying insurance, no insurance payment to the innocent victim of a car wreck, unless the victim is paying additional “uninsured motorist” premium.

2. Greater difficulty in solving crimes.

If a cop stops someone for suspicion of committing a crime, having no ID is of no help. Therefore, investigating a crime will become a more laborious task.

3. Increased use of forged documents.

Finally, the current black market for forged documents will flourish even more. Here in Florida, we introduced a credit-card type of driver’s license, because it was supposed to be difficult to forge.
The same week that the new driver’s licenses became available, some robbers broke into a driver’s license office and stole all the fancy gadgets needed to produce driver’s licenses. Unfortunately for the robbers, they forgot to steal the plastic laminates. The next night, they broke into the office again and stole the plastic sheets.

I know that in a perfect world, illegal aliens will be rounded up and returned to their countries of origin. Heck, in a perfect world, there will be no need to immigrate since all countries will have a high standard of living and excellent representative government.

(Since I’m already on this train of thought, in a perfect world people will never get sick, criminals will not be born, and all animals will be friendly. . . In a perfect world, we will also . . . Sorry I got carried away)

Bottom line, we need to have a comprehensive review of our current immigration policies, and we need to have the US federal government as the primary enforcer of our immigration laws.

For a good discussion about possible solutions to our immigrations woes, I found the following thread very illuminating:

Ants

At least one state's getting it right. We should not be rewarding lawbreakers.

Hold on, if they are illegal, then why the hell aren't they deported? I'm sick and tired of these hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants that put a strain on our nation.

Mar 22, 2003

Governor amends bill tightening tuition for illegal aliens

BOB LEWIS
Associated Press Writer

AP P

hoto

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Gov. Mark R. Warner said Saturday he will sign a bill requiring proof of citizenship or residency to obtain state driver's licenses, and he proposed an exception to a bill denying illegal aliens in-state tuition at Virginia public colleges.

While voicing concerns that the driver's license crackdown could subject immigrants to unfair treatment, the governor said the safeguards in the bill are necessary because of the threat of terrorism.

"I will work closely with the immigrant community and will use all the resources at my disposal" to ensure that the legislation is administered fairly, Warner said in a release issued through his office.

The new procedures require applicants for driver's licenses or permits to prove they are U.S. citizens, legal permanent U.S. residents or hold temporary residency permits.

The legislation stems from disclosures that seven of the 19 hijackers who flew jetliners into the World Trade Center towers in New York, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania had obtained IDs in Virginia using fraudulent affidavits as proof of residence. About 3,000 people died in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Warner is amending the revised state budget to add $600,000 to the Department of Motor Vehicles appropriations for training employees will need to carry out the new protocols.

Warner also proposed that strictures in the alien tuition bill be loosened so that students who can prove they have graduated from a Virginia high school, have lived in the state for five years and are seeking to legalize their immigration status would be eligible for in-state tuition.

The governor's amendment would also require that the parents of such students show that they have paid Virginia income taxes for at least three years.

The bill passed despite determined lobbying against it by minority and immigrant advocacy groups. They said the bill would unduly punish earnest newcomers to the United States, particularly in northern Virginia's sizable immigrant community, by forcing them to pay out-of-state tuition at state-supported colleges.

Out-of-state tuition is three to four times more expensive than tuition Virginia residents pay.

The bill would affect many people who entered the nation legally, have lived, worked and paid taxes in Virginia for years, and are waiting for the Immigration and Naturalization Service to process their paperwork, Emma Violand-Sanchez argued before a subcommittee studying the bill in January. She supervises the English as a second language program for Arlington Public Schools and is a member of the Immigrant Educational Rights Coalition.

Warner noted her points in explaining his amendment.

"This exception recognizes that there are some young people who came to America with their parents when they were very young and who are in a position to become legal residents of the United States," Warner said. "It's only fair that these this narrowly targeted group of students ... have the chance to receive in-state tuition."

Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax County, offered an amendment similar to Warner's in the final days of the legislative session last month, but it failed on a 15-25 vote.

Republican Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore, who included both bills in his 2003 legislative package, praised the Democratic governor's decision to sign the driver's license bill but strongly criticized the tuition amendment as a subsidy for scofflaws.

"I continue to believe that it is not too much to ask that people obey the laws of our society before they take advantage of what our society has to offer," he wrote in a statement distributed by his office.

"In this time of budget uncertainty, we should not ask taxpayers to subsidize illegal behavior to the tune of more than $6,000 per student per year," Kilgore said.

Warner also signed legislation creating safe havens such as hospitals or rescue squads where unwanted newborns may be left rather than being abandoned to die. The measure was also part of the attorney general's legislative package.

He signed a measure that moves next February's presidential primary up by two weeks, from the final Tuesday of the month to Feb. 10. The bill was introduced at the request of the state Democratic Party, but got bipartisan support because it will give Virginia greater say in the selection of presidential nominees.

The governor also signed a bill that mandates long-range budgetary planning for the state and another that abolishes the Yorktown Trustees, now an anachronism created by the colonial legislature in 1691 to establish port cities.

___=

On the Net:

Governor's office: http://www.governor.state.va.us/

RTD

April 30, 2003

Veto likely on illegal-alien tuition bill
By Mary Shaffrey
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner says he will likely veto legislation today that would prohibit illegal aliens from paying in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

"The restriction that we put forward [allowing for some exceptions] was more in line with what other governors across the country have done," Mr. Warner said yesterday. The bill the state legislature passed earlier this month "would be the most narrowly drawn of any state in the country."

Mr. Warner, a Democrat, said he expects to decide on all pieces of legislation, including vetoes, during a series of announcements today. Under state law, the governor has until Friday to sign or veto legislation passed during the one-day special session held April 2.

Mr. Warner made his comments to The Washington Times outside the WTOP radio studio in the District after appearing on the station's monthly "Ask the Governor" show.

During the 2003 General Assembly session, lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly passed legislation that would bar illegal aliens from paying in-state tuition at state colleges or universities. Depending on the school, out-of-state tuition can be three to four times more expensive than the rate Virginia residents pay.

The bill was part of state Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore's legislative package and was sponsored by Delegate Thelma Drake, Norfolk Republican.

But Mr. Warner proposed an amendment that would allow in-state tuition for aliens who can prove they have graduated from a Virginia high school, have lived in the state for five years, are seeking to legalize their immigration status and whose families have paid state taxes for three years.

Noncitizens who have served in the armed forces in Iraq are examples of why the narrow exceptions are needed, Mr. Warner said yesterday. "They are the right approach."

Mr. Kilgore had recommended that lawmakers reject Mr. Warner's amendments. Earlier this month, the House rejected the amendments by a vote of 73-26. Since the bill originated in the House, the chamber voted to send the original legislation back to the governor, and not the Senate for consideration.

Since the special session, Mr. Warner said many groups have encouraged him to veto the bill.

"Education and economic advancement are the cornerstones of the American dream," wrote Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce President William D. Lecos in an open letter to Mr. Warner. "Placing this unreasonable obstacle in the path of students who seek only an education and the opportunity to contribute to our society will do far more harm than good."

But Peter Gadiel, president of the Survivors of 9/11 Coalition and an advocate for stricter regulations regarding illegal aliens, said yesterday he was disappointed Mr. Warner was "playing politics." Mr. Gadiel lost his son, a graduate of Washington and Lee University, in the World Trade Center attacks.

"This is shortsighted, and it would be done only for his own political advantage. Furthermore, it's a kick in the teeth to the taxpayers of Virginia," Mr. Gadiel said. "It will encourage illegal aliens and will send a message they are welcome there."

It is not clear what effect Mr. Warner's actions will have, as the bill's supporters say state law already bars illegal aliens from receiving the in-state rate.

"It's existing law," Mrs. Drake said after the House reconsidered the measure earlier this month. "If the governor wants to be the only one who does not agree with the attorney general, so be it. If he vetoes it, it does not change underlying Virginia law, which says you cannot give illegal aliens this benefit."

At Mr. Kilgore's request, Mrs. Drake sponsored the legislation after questions arose last fall about an opinion he issued about the rate illegal aliens should pay at state colleges. The goal of the bill was to clarify existing state and federal law, so that college administrators could refer to one law, instead of several, when making decisions.

"Even if the governor elects to veto the bill, I remind our colleges and universities that illegal aliens are unable to fulfill residency requirements, and are therefore ineligible for in-state tuition rates," Mr. Kilgore said in a written statement after the April 2 vote.

http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20030430-90284174.htm