Democrats and illegal immigrants

As further proof that hypocrisy remains a central plank in the Democratic Party platform, left-leaning lawmakers in Carson City now want to have it both ways on illegal immigration.

On Monday, the Democrat-controlled Assembly passed a get-tough-on-immigration bill that targets business owners. Assembly Bill 383 would allow the Nevada Tax Commission to strip the state business license from a company that knowingly employs illegals. To help employers determine whether they're hiring illegals, the bill mandates that the state provide a Web link that allows companies to verify the Social Security number provided by a prospective worker.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats frantically tried to amend Senate Bill 415, which would prohibit illegals from receiving Millennium Scholarships. Minority Democrats wanted to let illegals have the scholarships provided they signed affidavits saying they would seek citizenship if given the opportunity. This toothless provision, which outlined no consequences for scholarship recipients who go back on their word, was killed by majority Republicans on a party-line, 11-10 vote.

On Tuesday, facing defeat, six Senate Democrats tried to save face by voting with the 11 Republicans to pass the legislation.

However, the bill faces certain death in the Assembly, where Democrats have worked for years to ensure that illegals have access to a free college education. Those efforts have included staunch opposition to having the state verify the Social Security numbers of Nevada high school graduates who apply for the scholarships.

So Democrats want illegal immigrants to have full access to public schools and state colleges and universities, but they don't want them to be able to get jobs when they graduate?

They don't want the state to verify Social Security numbers and withhold taxpayer subsidies from students who are in the country illegally, but they want to punish businesses that take the same approach with employees?

Makes a lot of sense.