By A Fairfax County Mother and New U.S. Citizen | Oct 11, 2024 | Fairfax County Times

As a resident of Fairfax County, I’m disappointed, but not really surprised, that our Congressman, Gerry Connolly, was among 150 Democrats who recently voted against Rep. Nancy Mace’s sponsored bill that would ensure illegal immigrants convicted of sex offenses are deported or deemed inadmissible to the country. Who would disagree with policies that make our neighborhood and citizens safer? Does he care more about illegal alien murderers and sex predators than about the women and children in his Congressional district? The ICE report that came out last week reported that about half a million illegal immigrants who have been released into the U.S. are convicted criminals, tens of thousands of whom are murderers and rapists. How about illegal immigrants who were convicted of crimes in their home country and then let out of prison to come here? What about terrorists coming through an open border? 

Democrats always claim to protect women, but when a piece of legislation that aims to do that comes from the other party, they would rather let you be killed or assaulted than support it. Connolly also voted against the Save Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Does he not want to protect election integrity so that nobody can doubt the results of federal elections? In any other sane country, voting against such bills would be a death blow to any politician’s career, but insanely, not in the U.S., where politicians would rather play partisan politics than support common-sense policies that protect the well-being of their constituents. Connolly can get away with that because he knows his career is safe in the bluest part of Northern Virginia. 

But does it mean Democrat voters care more about abortion than anything else in the world? It’s not like women in Virginia will not have access to abortion if they vote for another candidate for Congress, as in this state, abortion is still allowed up to the third trimester. Fairfax County, with its proximity to the federal government in Washington D.C., business hubs, and thousands of nonprofits, has been one of the richest counties in the country for many years in terms of median household income, no matter which political party holds power. Therefore, the plight of high inflation and the consequences of the record-high influx of illegal immigrants and criminals do not seem to bother the well-off residents here. 

There are others like us who are worried. It’s said that “It’s not a problem until it’s a rich man’s problem,” but if we let things get so bad that it could affect rich Fairfax County residents, that means it is even worse in other parts of the county, the state, and country. I urge Fairfax County voters to pay attention to the voting records of their elected officials and let them know that they shouldn’t take their seats for granted. Mike Van Meter is running for Congress against Gerry Connolly this year, and unlike Connolly’s radical and pandering policies, his top priority is to ensure the health, safety, and education of all Virginians. Mike understands that leaders should be working to promote the freedom of constituents through adhering to the Constitution, protecting liberties, and placing the needs and well-being of constituents above all other endeavors.