Gabrieli slams state on undocumented worker policy
QUINCY -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Christopher F. Gabrieli, in some of his most extensive comments to date on immigration, blasted Governor Mitt Romney and Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly yesterday for allowing construction firms that employ illegal immigrants to win state contracts.
Gabrieli said people are outraged over a Globe story Sunday that detailed how contractors on several state-funded projects appear to have relied heavily on undocumented workers. Romney and Reilly both have said that immigration is largely a matter of federal law and that there is little they can do about it.
``I think it's disappointing when the people we elect to do this all have explanations that have to do with it [being] somebody's else's fault," Gabrieli said after unveiling an energy plan at a Quincy library. ``I think these employers know what they're doing, and I think that they should not be rewarded by continuing to get state contracts."
Romney is seeking an agreement with the US government to allow Massachusetts state troopers to arrest immigrants for being in the country illegally. He has also said he didn't think the state could legally deny these firms contracts, because immigration is considered a federal matter by law. Reilly said state and local communities should ``take a serious look at whether they should do business" with companies that knowingly hire undocumented immigrants, but added that all his office could do was prosecute labor law violations.
Gabrieli acknowledged that he didn't know what the state could or couldn't do differently under the law, but he said that there are ``always creative ideas about how to get at issues like this" and that cracking down on such employers was not a priority for those in office.
``I absolutely don't think there's an excuse for the state of Massachusetts to say it's fine to do business with people we know are exploiting exactly this opportunity," he said.
Gabrieli's comments reflect the harder line on illegal immigration he's taken than his two Democratic opponents -- Reilly and Deval L. Patrick, a former civil rights prosecutor and executive with Texaco and the
Gabrieli's position appears similar to that of the Republican candidate, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, who has been critical of efforts to assist those living and working here illegally.
``Fear-mongering against the immigrant community is the strategy du jour, regardless of political affiliation," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.
Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley, a Democrat running for attorney general, said yesterday she believes the state does have legal latitude to go after companies that hire illegal immigrants. She said that all employers in Massachusetts should be on a ``level playing field" and that, unlike Reilly, she would investigate alleged law breakers.
Also yesterday, Gabrieli laid out a series of steps he said the state should take on energy, including offering low-interest loans to build energy-efficient buildings, providing incentives for people to buy efficient appliances, and joining a regional agreement with other states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Scott Helman can be reached at shelman@globe.com. 