The aggressive push by some politicians to make Virginia inhospitable to illegal immigrants has the potential to hurt the state’s economy, Gov. Tim Kaine said Tuesday.

As lawmakers and county officials look to pass laws that restrict services for illegal aliens and give local law enforcement agencies more deportation powers, foreign-owned companies will be less likely to move to the state, Kaine said.

“As I see what is happening politically around the state, I worry that the rhetoric and demagoguery sends out an extremely unwelcoming message,” Kaine said during his monthly radio call-in show on WTOP.

Kaine and his economic-development team have been successful in luring large foreign companies to Virginia. Last week, London company Rolls-Royce announced it would build an engine-manufacturing facility, which would employ 400, in Prince George’s County.

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In September, Germany’s Volkswagen decided to move its U.S. headquarters and 400 jobs to Herndon.

“We need to be wise about our immigration policies,” Kaine said. “If we send out the signal we are not welcoming to people from foreign countries, the world-class companies will go somewhere else.”

Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart, who has received national attention for the county’s efforts to fight illegal immigration, said stopping crimes associated with illegal immigration is more important than not offending foreign companies.

“Public safety trumps economic development,” Stewart told The Examiner. “[Kaine] needs to get his priorities straight.”

Illegal immigration became a major issue during this year’s state and local elections, and the topic is certain to be hotly debated when the General Assembly session begins in January.

Del. Robert Marshall, R-Manassas, who sponsored legislation this year creating a commission to study immigration’s effect on Virginia, said he would not back down from anti-illegal-immigrant legislation over economic concerns.

“The work force [Kaine] is trying to attract comes into the country legally,” Marshall told The Examiner. “Is he saying that the CEOs of those big corporations do not understand the importance of obeying the law? If they don’t understand the necessity of obeying the law, we don’t want them here in Virginia anyway.”

jrogalsky@dcexaminer.com

dgenz@examiner.com