FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 02/11/2008

Bridgewater College Hosts Debate On Illegal Immigration

BRIDGEWATER, Va. — One of the hottest political and social topics in the United States that of illegal immigration will serve as the focus for a debate at Bridgewater College Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m., in Cole Hall. The debate, which is part of the Harold W. Row Symposium, is free and open to the public.

How the United States should deal with the millions of illegal immigrants living and working here will be debated by Dan Stein, president of the Washington-based Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and Enrique Morones, founder of Border Angels, a group that provides food, water and clothing to illegal immigrants on their way into the United States.

Stein, who has headed FAIR since 1988, will make the case that restricting immigration is a matter of national security, economic stability and fairness to those who enter the country legally and apply .

"When someone enters the country illegally, that person is jumping in front of millions of people who are waiting in line respecting our laws," Stein said. "If you allow that person to stay permanently, you're committing a grievous offense against fundamental fairness and the American way."

Morones, who founded Border Angels in 1986, will argue that "behind discussions of policies and national borders are the lives of real people."

"We want to help these people live," said Morones.

Bridgewater College, a private, four-year liberal arts college, enrolls more than 1,500 students. Founded in 1880 and located in the Central Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, it was the state's first private, coeducational senior college.

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