Corey Stewart

I. Immigration Proxy Wars Continue - Simon's post, featured on the cover of the Huffington Post politics section, discusses the "broken and irrational" immigration system.

This year we have seen how this national failure has infected debates about other vital national priorities. SCHIP was held up. The stimulus was loaded up with a provision to use our broken and dangerous worker verification system that would undoubtedly disrupt the orderly flow of money to the states. And now Judd Gregg withdraws in part over the coming battle over the Census next year, which we know will include an effort by the right to exclude undocumented workers from the every 10-year head count of those living in the United States. Any future legislative initiative at the federal or state level that confers benefits to a population could conceivably invoke a battle over immigrants: will states require schools receiving school construction money from the stimulus to validate that only legal kids are covered with it? Will families who want to weatherize their homes have to prove their legal status? Will kids getting a laptop in a demonstration project have to prove their legitimacy? And of course, moving on universal health care coverage will require the immigration system to be fixed first. Passing comprehensive immigration reform may very well be the key that unlocks progress on a wide variety of other domestic challenges.

II.  Good Signs in the Economic Stimulus - Despite bumps along the road, Congress stripped a potentially disastrous provision mandating E-verify from the final economic stimulus legislation.  After the debate over legal immigrants under SCHIP, the stimulus served as a second example of how these immigration proxy fights don't appeal to the American people.  They demonstrate what NDN has long known - the American people are not against immigrants, they are for smart solutions, and Members of Congress have finally begun to legislate - and to vote - with that in mind.  There is no reward for getting caught up in the anti-immigrant hate mongering.  

 III.  Weighing Your Options - Judd Gregg stepped down as nominee for Secretary of Commerce this week, after minority groups and Members of Congress made public their concern over having Gregg in charge of the Census and the White House took ownership of the Census.  Is Gregg not a team player? Or maybe he just felt like he'd have more fun playing on the Republican Senate team, maybe we'll never know.  The bottom line is that 21st Century America will continue to reject the anachronistic policies and politics of the old, racially charged, Southern Strategy.  The responsibility of the 2010 Census is a grave one - it is imperative that short-comings of the past are dealt with so that all communities, regardless of color, race, ethnicity, and economic status are counted.  Seats will be re-apportioned nationally in just a few years, based on 2010 Census data.  This could mean the gain of one or two seats in states with increasingly young and immigrant populations, like Nevada, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, etc.  As the country becomes more Southern and Western, these states might see a major shift in their role on the national political stage. 

IV. Immigration News In Our Own Backyard - Coming soon in Montgomery County, a new policy will call for county police to begin reaching out to federal immigration authorities and provide the names of all suspects they arrest for violent crimes and handgun violations, an approach that reflects growing concerns about illegal immigration and crime but stops short of the broader enforcement efforts used in some counties. 

In Prince William County, VA, small-business owners are calling on Prince William County (PWC) lawmakers to rescind a controversial immigration measure that has required company owners to prove they are living in the country legally.  And one of the most combative and virulently anti-immigrant men in the country, Prince William County Supervisor Corey A. Stewart, is now softening his tone against immigrants as PWC falls into a steeper recession, largely due to the immigrant business owners and workers that have fled thanks to the 287(g) attack spearheaded by Stewart.  The article reports Stewart is put in his place by Chief of Police Deane, and as the PWC economy collapses, it's telling that the blame is no longer on "immigrants."  As Stewart shifts his message, he tacitly accepts that immigrants contribute to where they live, as opposed to being "burdens" on society: 

"Politicians are guided by the political climate and issues that will give them the most currency," she said.  Although illegal immigration dominated Prince William's budget and policy discussions last year, Stewart is now concentrating on balancing the budget through cuts....Jenkins acknowledges that Stewart has changed but said he thinks Stewart had little choice.  "Corey was so badly damaged politically because of his actions on immigration," Jenkins said. "He is trying to put that tarnished image away and show leadership. That probably forms the basis of his actions in reshaping his image."