FitzSimmonds Hits Colgan on Illegal Aliens

FitzSimmonds Lauds Republican Immigration Plan,
Calls on Colgan to Switch Course

 

BRISTOW, VA—Republican State Senate candidate Bob FitzSimmonds today praised the illegal immigration proposals recently released by Senate Majority Leader Walter Stocsh (R-Henrico) and House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford).

FitzSimmonds supports the package that would help streamline local, state, and federal immigration enforcement, penalize employers of illegal immigrants, and deny state benefits to illegal immigrants. FitzSimmonds additionally called on Sen. Chuck Colgan (D-Prince William) to switch course and support these proposals that he has previously opposed.

“For the last ten years, Colgan has consistently stood in the way of state intervention to address the illegal alien problem in Virginia. I urge Senator Colgan to switch course and accept these common sense solutions,” said FitzSimmonds.

FitzSimmonds has aggressively campaigned on a platform that includes penalizing employers of illegal immigrants and denying state benefits to illegal immigrants. FitzSimmonds has also been very critical of Colgan’s support of in-state college tuition benefits to illegal immigrants and Colgan’s opposition to requiring employers to obtain employment eligibility verification documents.

In 2003, Colgan voted for a bill that would have granted in-state tuition benefits at Virginia public universities to illegal immigrants.

Colgan has twice voted against bills sponsored by other northern Virginia legislators that required DMV to provide the Board of Elections with a list of self-identified non-citizens to ensure these individuals did not register to vote.

Colgan has also voted against bills requiring employers to obtain employment eligibility verification documents and stated that because Virginia does not have a department of immigration, illegal alien issues should exclusively be handled at the federal level.

“The citizens of Prince William and Manassas deserve a state senator who understands how serious a problem illegal immigration is and will take action to protect them,” said FitzSimmonds.