For over a year, we’ve been covering the various anti-immigrant measures in Virginia and the Latino community’s struggle against the hate.

The Washington Post is reporting that the state is attempting a different approach, with the aim of assimilating, not isolating, the undocumented…

Recommendations include shortening the Medicaid residency requirements for certain qualified immigrants, offering in-state tuition to immigrants who meet specific criteria and creating an immigration assistance office.

In the coming weeks, the Virginia Commission on Immigration will send Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) two dozen recommendations, most of which would help immigrants instead of penalizing them…

The commission proposed increasing the number of English classes and creating a plan to address the needs of foreign-born residents. It also urged the federal government to compile more complete immigration statistics, increase the number of visas for foreign workers and pass comprehensive immigration legislation.

While I can appreciate the move, I am not fooled for one moment that this is a display of a sudden understanding of the human side of immigration. This is about money. With the economy in a downward spiral and anti-immigration measures, rhetoric, ice raids and hate crimes are pushing immigrants further into the shadows and even back home. While some celebrate this as a victory for the anti-immigrant forces, the truth is that this equals huge economic losses, as immigrants put more into the economy than what they cost.

Seems like one state finally caught on to that.

Via / The Latin Americanist and The Washington Post