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Colette Tranchant, far left, and David Kunhardt, second from left, talk to George Taplin of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps at Friday’s meeting in Virginia Beach.
STEPHEN M. KATZ/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT |
Posted on 05/19/2007 12:54:26 PM PDT by csvset
VIRGINIA BEACH - Gathering at the Oceanfront, a series of speakers urged Hampton Roads voters to fire elected officials who don't address immigration - and demand that police enforce the law equally and question how decisions made in Washington affect people's quality of life.
"Call Webb, Warner and Drake, and tell them in a nice way that their jobs depend on their vote on immigration," said Bill Buchanan of the American Council for Immigration Reform in Arlington. "Do nothing, and things will get worse. You must direct your efforts to make this state less attractive to immigrants."
About 50 people attended the event - all of whom had to show identification to enter - which was designed to encourage people to join Help Save Virginia. The group grew from Help Save Herndon, a group that came together over concerns about day laborers in their town.
The meeting was sponsored by the Virginia chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.
The event was scheduled before the March 30 car crash that killed Virginia Beach teenagers Alison Kunhardt and Tessa Tranchant. Alfredo Ramos, an illegal immigrant, has been charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter.
Alison's father, David Kunhardt, and Tessa's mother, Colette Tranchant, attended Friday's gathering.
Buchanan and other speakers primarily addressed the agreement between the U.S. Senate and the Bush administration this week on a bill that would grant temporary legal status to the country's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, create a temporary worker program, and establish a visa system that would favor skilled, educated workers.
"No matter what the Senate has come up with, you have to start thinking about the questions you need to ask your elected officials," Joyce Mucci, Southern regional representative for Washington's Federation for American Immigration Reform, said. "What's in it for you? What's in it for us?
"As it stands now, the commitment to protect the American worker is gone, but the commitment to supply cheap labor to corporate interests is satisfied."
A handful of people with the activist group Norfolk Catholic Worker gathered on Atlantic Avenue to protest, said Steve Baggarly.
Demonstrator Connie Hannah described the meeting as "attracting the racists among us."
"We need to be responsible and not turn our backs on people we force to come here," she said.
Elected and appointed officials - 113 of them - had been invited to Friday's meeting, George Taplin, chapter director of the Minutemen, said. None came.
Taplin encouraged residents to press local officials to take part in a program that allows federal authorities to train police officers to enforce immigration laws.
If people talked to local police off the record, "I will tell you that 95 percent of them want this enforced," said Taplin, who is also a member of the Illegal Immigration Task Force of the Virginia State Crime Commission.
James Quash of Suffolk said he would get involved, "if anything, to make our politicians do what they need to do. We're sick and tired of it."
Colette Tranchant, who carries a picture of her with Alison and Tessa, said their deaths were caused by a series of broken laws that have to do with both drunken driving and illegal immigration. Both she and David Kunhardt said they would be interested in getting involved if a group were to start here.
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Colette Tranchant, far left, and David Kunhardt, second from left, talk to George Taplin of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps at Friday’s meeting in Virginia Beach.
STEPHEN M. KATZ/THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT |
| Tessa Tranchant, 16, left, and Allison Kunhardt, 17, were killed March 30th in a crash on Virginia Beach Boulevard. COURTESY PHOTO |
The two victims of yet another criminal invader from Mexico.
Yeah, we really force them to come here you friggin' douchebag.
Yeah, but look at the bright side, with this amnesty deal we’ll no longer have any of the “illegals kill Americans” threads........
“We need to be responsible and not turn our backs on people we force to come here,”
FORCE? I’d like to slap this catholic commie upside her head.
Connie can call me a racist all she wants. That dog don't bite no more.
Typical moonbat! It's our fault!
I am an American of Cuban descent. I am doing everything and anything (calling, faxing and emailing) Capital Hill to defeat this travesty called an Immigration Bill, in other words amnesty.
This idiot can call me a racist if she wants but like you said this dog doesn’t bite anymore. You think I am a racist because I don’t want the America that I love to be a free for all , SO BE IT.
sheana <-———— bigot, racist, KKK, etc. Go ahead, it no longer hurts. It just translates to Patriot for me. I will wear it like a badge of honor.
We all need to stand proud, show our convictions and NEVER let them beat us down with their ugly words and thoughts.
I read recently that illegals drive drunk 3.5 times as often as citizens. Thats a lot of excess deaths from people who belong back in the filthy country they came from.
Agreed!
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