Sen. Kaine Delivers a Powerful Message in Support of Immigrants at New American Media Roundtable
On Monday, the Fairfax County Democratic Committee had the honor of welcoming Senator Tim Kaine for a press conference held for the new American media. He expressed his appreciation for the immigrant community’s role in Virginia’s dramatic economic growth. His powerful message was refreshing, particularly after President Trump called immigrants ‘animals’ earlier this week. Senator Kaine noted that in 1958, only one in a hundred Virginia residents had been born in another country, compared to one in every nine today. Throughout these 60 years, Virginia has moved from 38th to 12th among the 50 states, in terms of per capita income. He concluded that “the willingness [of Virginia] to be open and diverse, and the fact that people from other nations have found Virginia to be a place where they could come and find opportunity has been such a huge part of our success.”
Senator Kaine also discussed the theme for his 2018 reelection campaign — a Virginia that works for all. The theme could not have been more perfect, as is encompasses three foundational pillars. First, it is about what is best for Virginia, as he “[does not] represent D.C. to Virginia, [but] Virginia to D.C.” Second, it is about work and economic opportunity. Sen. Kaine firmly believes that “everybody in this state, wherever they live, whatever their skin color, wherever they’re from, whatever their religion, whatever language they speak, .. should have a path to economic success, …should see a ladder that they can climb to success.” Furthermore, his theme truly is about all Virginians, “whether your ancestors came to Jamestown in 1607 or your family came two weeks ago.”
Finally, Sen. Kaine spoke about his ongoing projects on Capitol Hill which include combating the opioid crisis, protecting the Affordable Care Act from Republican sabotage, and expanding career and technical education. However, he mainly focused on two very timely issues. Sen. Kaine is committed to building global alliances as he “[worries] about this president cutting alliances, backing out of the Paris deal, backing away from the Iran deal…[which] not only breaks our word in many instances but also leaves a vacuum.” Furthermore, while he acknowledged that there are “not enough Republican votes to protect Dreamers,” he reassured the immigrant community that “the Democratic side [is] completely unified [in support of] comprehensive immigration reform and permanent protection for Dreamers.” Overall, Senator Kaine left no doubt that he stands with Dreamers, immigrants, and all Virginians.
