Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Talks Immigration Issues in Falls Church

FALLS CHURCH, VA -- Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello met with immigration advocates and DREAMers Friday in Falls Church. The groups are uneasy as they wait for more clear information on immigration issues from the Trump administration.

DREAMers are children whose parents are undocumented immigrants in the United States.

Perriello, a former member of Congress, voted for the DREAM act (DREAM is an acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). "Hearing about the courage & fears of DREAMers in NoVa today," he said in a message about the meeting, which he posted to Twitter. "I was proud to vote for the DREAM Act - I'll keep fighting for them."

The federal DREAM Act is bipartisan legislation first introduced in Congress in 2001. Known formally as Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, it has been reintroduced several times, including a big push in 2010 but failed to pass.

President Trump has sent mixed signals on immigration that have many on edge. He was asked about DREAMers in an interview that aired Wednesday: "They shouldn't be very worried," Trump said in the interview with ABC News. "They are here illegally. They shouldn't be very worried. I do have a big heart. We're going to take care of everybody. We're going to have a very strong border."

Perriello said he met Friday with DREAMers and immigration advocates for a roundtable discussion in Falls Church, to listen to their stories and ideas. He said, in a news release, that he will "find ways to keep families together and ensure Virginia is a firewall against the kind of anti-immigrant agenda being pursued by the Trump administration."

Perriello says the reason he fights for DREAMers is “this kind of service is its own reward; I fight for DREAMers because it’s the right thing to do, but also because my life’s better when I do it — our communities are better, our economy is stronger…it’s a purpose-driven life when you’re fighting for issues of justice,” Blue Virginia reported him as saying. See video from Friday's roundtable posted by BlueVirginia here.

The roundtable was held at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), which serves the local immigrant community.

Perriello just recently announced his run, earlier this month.

Thomas Stuart Price "Tom" Perriello, 42, is an attorney and a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School. Perriello represented Virginia's 5th District, which includes Charlottesville, from 2009-2011; he was later defeated. He was most recently at the State Department, working as a special envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, after being appointed to the post by President Obama.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, as well as Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, will continue to support fellow Democrat Ralph Northam, the current lieutenant governor, also in the race, the New York Times has reported.

The Republican field includes former RNC chair Ed Gillespie, Donald Trump's former state campaign chair Corey Stewart and state Sen. Frank Wagner. Polls show Gillespie ahead.

The Democratic primary is June 13. The Virginia gubernatorial election will take place on Nov. 7. McAuliffe is not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits established by the Virginia Constitution.

PHOTO: Former Congressman Tom Perriello, a Democrat who is running for governor of Virginia, meets with immigration advocates and DREAMers Friday in Falls Church; photo courtesy of Perriello campaign.