The appointment of Shaun Kenney as executive director of RPV answers that question. Kenney is a long time supporter of illegal immigration and still a supporter as recently as two months ago. He vigorously opposed Corey Stewart’s attempts to enforce laws against illegal immigration when a large majority in Prince William County supported Stewart and enforcement of anti-immigration laws. Stewart referred to the enforcement of the laws as the Virginia Rule of Law. Shaun Kenney has referred to citizens who believe in enforcement of our immigration laws as ‘nativists’ and he believes those ‘nativists’ are dead wrong. In addition to not supporting the laws of our country, Kenney doesn’t seem to understand the economics of his ideas. Illegal immigrants lower wages for citizens across the county and thrust more Americans into poverty. Citizens on the bottom of the economic ladder are more severely effected by illegal immigration than any other group.
Yesterday the group ‘Fast for Families Across America’ arrived in Richmond. They will fast for 4 days in Monroe Park in an effort to put pressure on Congressman Eric Cantor to use his influence in Congress to pass “immigration reform”.
“What some thought would end with a few days of fasting last year on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. has become a full-fledged national movement to highlight the sacrifices aspiring Americans make everyday in service to this country,” said Virginia’s own Rev. Tony Suarez of The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. “They set out on a pilgrimage. And today, they have reached the promise land of dreams. Our community joins them in calling on Congressman Cantor and the Virginia congressional delegation to make the dreams of our immigrant brethren a reality.”
“We have travelled more than 14,000 miles, to over 60 Congressional Districts in more than 30 states, and at every stop, we hear the stories of families who are torn apart, about children left behind when their parents are sent back to their country of origin, about sons and daughters whose parents passed away without being able to say goodbye,” said SEIU’s former Secretary-Treasurer and “Fast for Families” leader Eliseo Medina. “House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has the power to change the lives of our community and the history of our country; it’s time he leads his colleagues in the House to move immigration reform to a vote.”
In addition to SEIU’s Medina and NHCLC Suarez, fasters were joined by Virginia Organizing’s Ray Scher; Virginia State Delegate Delores McQuinn; Sojourners’ President Jim Wallis and Senior Director of Mobilizing Lisa Sharon Harper; the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Michel Sajur; RVA Dreamer Yanet Limon; and Virginia constituents and families who’ve been impacted by the country’s broken immigration system.”
Yesterday Shaun Kenney, the new director of the Republican Party of Virginia met with this group to share the party’s views on illegal immigration. Watched what happened here.
We now know where RPV will stand on any vote on illegal immigration.
More here, here and here. More on the group that Kenney is lecturing to here.
