Thread: The Prince William 'boycott'

The Prince William 'boycott'


September 1, 2007


In response to a new resolution passed in Prince William County aimed at cracking down on illegal aliens, the immigrant activist group Mexicans Without Borders organized a boycott of all stores that are either not owned by immigrants or are not in support of reversing the resolution. The weeklong boycott, which began on Monday, targets local businesses and national chains like Wal-Mart and McDonald's, as well as Potomac Mills shopping center. Stores that want to show their solidarity with the immigrant activists — or feel threatened — have placed green signs in their shop windows that read "We Are a Pro-Immigrant Business. Rescind the Prince WIlliam County Anti-Immigration Resolution."

The resolution was passed in July by a unanimous Board of County Supervisors. It would prohibit illegal aliens from using certain county-provided services and would give police the ability not only to question people about their immigration status but also to speed up the deportation process of criminals. Prince William is one of the few localities that has tried to put a price tag on providing local services for illegal aliens. Earlier this year, officials estimated last year's costs at $3 million — and most of that $3 million was spent on housing illegals in jail. Education and health care are, as any locality would expect, increasingly rising.

Prince William has one of the fastest-growing Latino population in the area, but Board Chairman Corey Stewart, at-large Republican, says the boycott will have little impact since the larger community has expressed its dissatisfaction with the overwhelming burden on taxpayers and the county's resources because of illegal immigrants. He said that the boycott "confirms that illegal immigrants and their support groups have no respect for our community or the rule of law."

The boycott unfairly targets businesses of all size, and trying to stick it to the Prince William Board by going after privately owned stores is seemingly ineffective, as news reports this week have said. It also bullies store-owners into becoming part of the greater immigration debate. Calling the County Board of Supervisors "idiots," as Mexicans Without Borders organizer John Steinbach did, won't help overturn the resolution either.

Many opponents of the resolution fear that it will unfairly target legal immigrants or U.S. citizens. This is an exhausted argument. Law-abiding citizens and immigrants who want to rent an apartment, apply for a job or even register a car should simply supply the necessary forms of identification, such as Social Security number, proof of residency or a government-issued ID. Illegals? Well, that's their problem.

The Prince William County Board of Supervisors should stick to its guns and continue developing policies that crack down on lawbreakers. It is good to see the trend toward local legislatures doing the work that the federal government can't do alone.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/article/ ... /-1/RSS_FP

The immigrant protest is so funny to me because by specifically picketing Walmart they are showing their intelligence because Walmart is a huge laraza supporter and ALL the McDonalds in the area have bi-ligual signage,so in essence they are protesting the same businesses that support their movement and are catering to them .These illegals are being made fools of by their "leaders"and worse they brought it on themselves by refusing to learn and comprehend English!




Head 'em up,move 'em out Rawhide!