Thread: Culpeper: Hispanics ready to face off?

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Hispanics ready to face off?
Allison Brophy Champion
Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

“Urgente!!!” So says the sign posted Sunday on the front door of El Nopal Supermercado in downtown Culpeper. A call to unity and activism for Hispanic immigrants, the sign announced an impromptu meeting held Sunday at 5:30 p.m. outside El Nopal near the Depot.

The “urgent” matter discussed at the meeting - attended by more than 100 people - was the recent crusade of Town Councilman Steve Jenkins to rid Culpeper of illegal immigrants.

He proposes that Culpeper enact laws, like in Hazleton, Pa., that would penalize employers for hiring undocumented workers, fine landlords for renting homes to illegal immigrants and declare English the official language.

Jenkins, like in Manassas, has also advocated for a government-led crackdown on extended families living in single-family homes - an initiative that opponents feel unfairly targets Hispanics. He is hosting a town hall meeting Saturday at 1 p.m. in the library to talk about what Culpeper can do to combat illegal immigration, and encourages all citizens to come out and speak their minds.

Well, Culpeper’s Latinos have some things on their minds.
To that end, the local Hispanic community will march from El Nopal to the library Saturday at 1 p.m. to make a statement in opposition to Jenkins’ initiatives.

Mexican immigrant Martin Bernal, owner of El Nopal, is organizing the march along with D.C.-based “Mexicans Without Borders.” A Culpeper resident, Bernal entered the U.S. in 1986 as a migrant worker and became a legal immigrant three years later.

The 41-year-old husband and father of two set up shop at El Nopal about two years ago, and the store quickly became a center for Hispanic resources and political activism.


When local Hispanics began hearing and reading about Jenkins’ ideas, it sparked worry that Culpeper would adopt the laws and that “anti-immigrant” sentiment would abound, Bernal said.

“My people respect Mr. Jenkins’ ideas and we have been working together with Mexicans Without Borders to show him we don’t want to harm the country,” Bernal said. “We respect the laws of the U.S.A, but we have to be careful that we are not targeted because we are Hispanics. If he’s keeping with his ideas, everyone is going to start thinking that we are bad people.”

The perception that Hispanics don’t pay taxes is simply not true, he added. Even illegal immigrants pay taxes when they shop at Wal-Mart, Bernal pointed out, or buy electricity to heat or cool their home. Hispanics are purchasing homes in Culpeper, he added, and like him, opening businesses that contribute to the local tax role.

“There has to be rich and poor and we are the poor, you know. The reason why we come into this country is for a better life,” he said. “The people want to be legal, they want to pay whatever taxes are being asked of them.”

The U.S. Congress is faced with a huge task when it comes to legitimizing the 11 million illegal immigrants living in America, he recognized, but it’s not going to happen in one day.

“It’s going to take years,” Bernal said. “We know the federal government has to take care of the illegal immigrants, but it’s not up to this gentleman, Mr. Steve Jenkins. The reality is: we wish we could be legal right away, but it’s taking time.”

The purpose of Saturday’s march, he said, is to show Jenkins and others that Hispanics are not criminals or terrorists. The Hispanic community is interested in a peaceful meeting, he said.

“We would love to meet with Mr. Steve Jenkins to explain our ideas,” Bernal said. “And if he has ideas about how to make anyone, even those day laborers, pay their taxes we would be glad to hear.”

The reason immigrants risk all to come to America is not just because for a better job, he said.

“It’s real freedom in this country - there’s more security,” Bernal said.

Ricardo Juarez, Virginia coordinator for Mexicans Without Borders, said the Hispanic community in Culpeper would send an official letter to town council, making their concerns known.

“They feel targeted, like maybe they will start to have bad experiences,” he said. “People are worried about the possibilities of the council approving any ordinance that can upset their lives.”

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or abrophy@starexponent.com.

The U.S. Congress is faced with a huge task when it comes to legitimizing the 11 million illegal immigrants living in America, he recognized, but it’s not going to happen in one day.

“It’s going to take years,” Bernal said. “We know the federal government has to take care of the illegal immigrants, but it’s not up to this gentleman, Mr. Steve Jenkins. The reality is: we wish we could be legal right away, but it’s taking time.”

So they are confident Congress will eventually legitimize them. We'll see about that.

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Culpeper among fastest growing
Allison Brophy Champion
Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 22, 2006


Housing slow-down? What housing slow-down? Not in Culpeper - not last year.

Culpeper County has earned yet another top spot on a U.S. Census list of fastest growing places.

In a release Monday, Culpeper was named the sixth fastest-growing county in the country in terms of growth in housing units.

From July 1, 2004 to July 1, 2005, Culpeper County gained 1,379 new homes - from 14,775 to 16,154 units - representing a 9.3 percent increase.

Flagler County, Florida led the pack in housing growth with a 14.8 percent increase during the same time period - from 34,231 to 39,309 housing units. Sumter County, Fla. was second with a 12.8 percent increase, followed by Pinal County, Ariz. and 10.2 percent increase. Osceola County Fla. came in fourth with a 9.5 percent increase in housing units followed by Franklin County, Washington with 9.4 percent growth.

According to Culpeper County Planning Director John Egertson, building permits peaked in the past fiscal year, ending June 30.
“Hopefully, they will start to do down,” he said.

In fact, Egertson added, the number of building permits coming through his office in the past four or five months has started to fall.

“We’ve seen a noticeable drop,” he said.
Of the hundreds of new homes being built around Culpeper, about 60 percent of the construction is occurring within the town’s limits, Egertson estimated.

As of July 2005, the population in Culpeper County was 42,530, according to the U.S. Census. That number has since increased to 45,012 - a 5.8 percent increase - said Egertson, and is based on the most recent certificates of occupancy.

Since 2000, Culpeper County has been no stranger to fastest-growing Census lists. Following is a summary of those top spots:

- From April 2000 to July 2003, the population in Culpeper County increased by 4,293 - from 34,262 to 38,555. The estimated 12.5 percent growth rate during those three years ranked Culpeper County at number 87 among the 100 fastest growing counties in the U.S.

- Culpeper County came in at number 81 on the list of top 100 Fastest-Growing U.S. Counties from July 2003 to July 2004 with a 4 percent growth rate and population increase of 38,640 to 40,192.

- From April 1, 2000 through July 1, 2005, Culpeper County experienced a whopping 24.1 percent population increase - from 34,262 to 42,530. The county ranked number 55 among the fastest growing counties, according to this Census release.

- In March, Culpeper County earned the number 18 spot of fastest growing counties, experiencing a 5.9 percent growth rate from July 2004 to July 2005.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or abrophy@starexponent.com.

U.S. Census list at a glance

Fastest Growing Counties -
Percent change in housing units: July 1, 2004 to July 1, 2005

1. Flagler County, Fla. 14.8
2. Sumter County, Fla. 12.8
3. Pinal County, Ariz. 10.2
4. Osceola County, Fla. 9.5
5. Franklin County, Wash. 9.4
6. Culpeper County, Va. 9.3
7. Washington County, Utah 8.6
8. Kendall County, Ill. 8.5
9. St. Lucie County, Fla. 8.2
10. Rockwall County, Texas 7.7
11. Loudoun County, Va. 7.4
12.Paulding County, Ga. 7.3
13. Walton County, Fla. 7.3
14. Yuba County, Calif. 7.1
15. Fannin County, Ga. 7.1

SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS

Check out uscensus.gov for the complete
and most recent list of fastest growing counties.


http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006 ... 006/211460

Hispanic numbers swelling Area population up 119% since 2000
August 4, 2006 12:50 am

By EDIE GROSS

While the Fredericksburg area's population increased steadily between 2000 and 2005, its Hispanic population grew almost six times faster, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released today.

The region saw a 21 percent increase in total residents since 2000, but the Hispanic community here swelled by 119 percent over that same five-year period.

That was far ahead of the numbers for Virginia as a whole. In 2005, the commonwealth hosted nearly 7.6 million residents, a 7 percent increase over the 2000 count.

Hispanics made up a relatively small portion of that amount, at just 6 percent. But their numbers grew statewide by 36 percent, quintuple the growth of the populace as a whole.

Kenny Park, pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church in Warsaw, runs a Hispanic ministry in the Northern Neck. While some of those he has served have returned home to Mexico, daunted by immigration hurdles, many more choose to stay and work in Virginia, he said.

"They come because in one week they can make two or three or four times more than what they can in Mexico," he said "There is a living to be made in Mexico, but the hardship is exponentially greater."

Of the 10 Virginia counties with the fastest growth rate for Hispanics, five of them are local: Culpeper, Fauquier, Spotsylvania, Caroline and Stafford. The Hispanic community more than doubled in each of those localities.

Frederick County led the state in Hispanic growth, nearly tripling its Latino population.

In terms of sheer numbers of Latinos, the Northern Virginia counties of Fairfax, Prince William, Arlington and Loudoun still lead the state, though Arlington's Hispanic community declined by nearly 4,000 people, according to the Census.

Some of those folks may be moving south to the Fredericksburg region, where the cost of living is slightly lower.

Hispanics also flock to this area because they already know people living here, Park said. For instance, he said, half the men of Hueyotlipan in the Mexican state of Tlaxcala who come to the United States to work end up in Jackson Hole, Wyo., and the other half end up in Virginia.

"It's a function of networking that happens back in Mexico," he said. "Word gets out, and I guess to a certain degree probably, there's security in knowing you're going to be working with folks from back home."

White non-Hispanics still make up the lion's share of the region's residents, accounting for 76 percent of the population--down from 79 percent five years ago.

Black non-Hispanics account for close to 16 percent of this area's makeup, a slight increase over the 2000 numbers.

Hispanics, who accounted for almost 3 percent of the Fredericksburg region's residents in 2000, now boast a nearly 5 percent share.



To reach EDIE GROSS:540/374-5428
Email: egross@freelancestar.com

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Finding local solutions to national problem
Allison Brophy Champion
Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 23, 2006



Culpeper Town Councilman Steve Jenkins wants to get local officials talking about local solutions to illegal immigration.

To that end, he has introduced the topic for discussion at today’s Town/County Interaction Committee meeting under the agenda heading: “joint letter of concern to the Congressional delegation on immigration enforcement.”

“I had asked that we address it from the aspect of what we’re doing locally and what resources can be solicited from the federal level to help us better deal with the issue of illegal immigration,” he said Monday.

Jenkins pointed to the recent crackdown in Hazleton, Pa., as an example of steps Culpeper’s local government could and should take to combat illegal immigration. In Hazleton - population about 31,000 - the City Council last month approved “one of the toughest laws of its kind in the United States … imposing $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, denying business permits to companies that give them jobs and making English the city’s official language,” the Associated Press reported.

Jenkins, a Culpeper native, felt a similar ordinance should be enacted in Culpeper, including the part about a resolution to “name English as the primary language in this community.”

Since elected to his first council term in May, Jenkins said, many citizens have approached him about illegal immigration.
“You’ve got your head in the sand if you think it’s not an issue,” he said. “They want it stopped, they want it ceased,” Jenkins added of comments he’s heard about illegal immigrants living and working in America.

On one hand, if an immigrant goes through the proper channels to become legal, including paying taxes like everyone else does, “they are entitled to all the rights of other legal citizens,” he said.

On the other hand, “Then you have those who are sneaking across the border on the back of a tomato wagon, coming into this country being treated like someone who’s legal,” Jenkins said.

Culpeper law enforcement officials need tools - i.e. a more stringent loitering ordinance - to deal with the daily, early morning gatherings of day laborers in the parking lot at Culpeper Town Mall along James Madison Highway, he said. Otherwise, “their hands are tied.”

Jenkins feels it’s time to stop leaving the issue to the Feds.
“Every issue is local, and if it takes a lot of a localities to say enough is enough to get those clowns in Congress to listen then so be it,” he said.

Jenkins said he would distribute literature to town and county representatives at today’s meeting regarding the recent action in Pennsylvania.

Since he took office, Jenkins has also introduced to the political arena the topic of overcrowding in single-family homes. He proposed that the town place limits on the definition of “family” in response to increasing complaints about extended family members and unrelated people - in primarily Hispanic households - living in homes intended for one family. That matter continues to be discussed at the committee level.

In a related matter, the Spanish-speaking population in Culpeper increased by 177 percent during the last five years. In 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau reported, there were 858 Hispanics registered in Culpeper. By 2005, that figure had jumped to 2,373.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or abrophy@starexponent.com

Want to go?

The Town/County Interaction Committee meets today at 7:30 a.m. in the county administration building, 302 N. Main St. Also on the agenda: use of town and county athletic fields for recreational use and appointing a town and county representative to the Culpeper Cable Commission.

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Illegal aliens, is there an answer?
Allison Brophy Champion
Staff Writer
Thursday, August 24, 2006


Can local governments do anything to curb illegal immigration?
As the debate boils over and people continue to illegally stream across U.S. borders, it’s a question state and local officials are asking nationwide, including Culpeper Town Councilman Steve Jenkins.

“My feeling is this is something we need to take a very strong look at,” he said at Wednesday’s meeting of the town/county interaction committee. “I’m not going to wait around for a Congressman to tell us what we can do.”

After a brief discussion, the committee ultimately decided to ask their respective boards to send a letter to U.S. Congressman Eric Cantor, R-Richmond, soliciting feedback on what exactly local governments can do about illegal immigration.

As part of Wednesday’s discussion, Jenkins, 45, mentioned the recent crackdown in Hazleton, Pa., where the City Council approved a series of local laws aimed at discouraging illegal aliens from living and working in their community.

“A lot us recognize the burden it is placing on us - from an economic perspective and a public safety perspective,” said Jenkins. “We ought to be taking a strong stance.”

Stevensburg Supervisor Bill Chase agreed illegal immigration has a cost, especially to the public school system.

Last year, some 600 Hispanic students attended Culpeper County Public Schools. The latest enrollment figures are not yet available, but will likely be higher considering that the Census reported a 177 percent increase in Culpeper’s Hispanic population from 2000-2005.

County Administrator Frank Bossio said it would cost “close to $9,000” to educate a single student this school year.

“And we’re not allowed to ask if they’re legal or illegal,” said Chase, also mentioning a recent encounter with a Hispanic patient at Culpeper Regional Hospital. “He had the wrong I.D.”
West Fairfax Supervisor Steve Nixon and Culpeper Police Chief Dan Boring both expressed doubts that the federal government could specifically assist Culpeper with issues surrounding illegal immigration.

“This is a federal issue,” Boring said.
As for what the feds are doing to address the issue, Congressional representatives seem to be taking “a hands-off approach,” Nixon added.

Calling it a “federal issue,” however, didn’t fly with Jenkins.
“When we choose to run for elected office, we are responsible for addressing things that are important to the citizens,” he said, proposing that “a task force” of residents convene to further study what can be done about illegal immigration. “I don’t want this to go away just because we are sending a letter.”

Chase joked that Culpeper could follow suit with Arizona.
“Put National Guard troops on our borders,” he said.
Then again, reiterated Chase, illegal immigration is costing Culpeper.

“Is there some way to tax them?” he said. “If we had some taxes coming in or something, it would be a whole lot better. Someone’s got to pay.”

Cantor’s stance
During a visit to Culpeper in June, Congressman Cantor, who represents Culpeper in the U.S. House of Representatives, addressed illegal immigration and the need, first and foremost, to secure America’s borders.

“The situation on the border is out of control. That’s the first priority - we have got to be able to control who comes into this country. We are a country of laws,” he said at the time. “Once we do that, then we can make the determination and distinction between those people coming in to have a job and those people coming in to do us harm and then deal with the 12 million people who are already here.”

Cantor advocated for a fence in some places along the Mexican/Texas border as well as underground sensors or unmanned aerial vehicles in other places to monitor illegal entry into the U.S. The immigration package proposed by House Republicans also provides for nationwide crackdowns by Immigration and Custom Enforcement on local industries employing large numbers of illegal immigrants.

Federal inaction?
Meanwhile, however, the divide between Congressional Republicans and Democrats on how to handle the issue has resulted in inaction. This stagnant, and highly political approach has left citizens and governments nationwide more than frustrated.

“Because the Congress is unable to act, people at your level - and the local level - are beginning to take things into their own hands,” Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute said, as reported Wednesday by the Associated Press.

According to the AP, more than 550 bills related to illegal immigration were introduced in statehouses this year, and at least 77 were enacted.

Since 2000, according to the Office of Immigration Statistics and Department of Homeland Security, an average of 408,000 immigrants have entered the U.S. illegally.

Mexico is the largest contributing country of illegal immigrants with nearly 6 million in the U.S. in 2005, the AP reports using government figures.

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or abrophy@starexponent.com.

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Jenkins crusade all about legality
Allison Brophy Champion
Staff Writer
Sunday, August 27, 2006


Town Councilman Steve Jenkins is on a crusade to keep illegal immigrants out of Culpeper.

He wants to establish local laws - like ones recently enacted in Hazleton, Pa. - that would, among other things, fine employers for hiring illegal immigrants and establish English as the primary language.

“It’s not about race, it’s not about culture, and it’s not about social-economic issues. It’s about legality,” said Jenkins, a high school football coach with a background in law enforcement. “That’s my point: It’s illegal to be in America without legal documentation.”

On the other hand, Mayor Pranas Rimeikis, a retired Green Beret, considers such local laws unenforceable, unconstitutional and rooted in vigilantism.

“The reality is we are faced for the first time with another culture and some people don’t like it and they don’t understand it and they immediately assume that they’re all here illegally,” said Rimeikis, who immigrated to Chicago from Germany as a child. “I don’t share those xenophobic views.”

Likewise, Kent Willis - director of the Virginia American Civil Liberties Union - said local immigration laws that attempt to supersede federal authority are not just unconstitutional, but also born of bigotry.

“These ordinances evolve out of a newly but deeply developed prejudice against people from other countries. In Virginia, it is Latinos that have been specifically targeted,” Willis said of an ordinance in Manassas that attempted to regulate extended family living together in single-family homes.

“This proposal,” he added, “seems to come from that same place - it is not a legitimate attempt to help the federal government implement federal laws but to make it more difficult for Latinos and other immigrants from living in certain communities.”

A national issue
Immigration, legal or not, and the introduction - in great waves - of the Hispanic culture into predominantly white communities is an issue that’s getting people talking nationwide.

As the federal government slowly figures out how to manage the more than 11 million illegal immigrants living in America, local and state governments nationwide are taking matters into their own hands.

Jenkins says it’s the responsibility of elected officials at all levels to address the concerns of their constituents. Since he took office in July, he said, he has heard a lot of feedback about illegal immigration and the toll it’s taking on local resources.

But, says Willis, it’s not the right or responsibility of localities to govern issues of immigration.

“The federal government determines who is an illegal immigrant and who is not,” he said. “A local ordinance cannot change that.”

In addition, Willis said, attempting to do so is in violation of Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which gives Congress sole authority “to establish a uniform rule of naturalization.”

Still, there may be some opportunity in the future for the states to get involved in immigration enforcement, he said.

For example, a bill introduced in the Virginia statehouse this year would give the Virginia State Police authority to help the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency enforce federal immigration laws, according to Willis.

“The federal immigration agency feels as if they don’t have all the resources they need to enforce the immigration laws,” he said. “So they have asked states to have some officials trained in doing this. It is conceivable also that local law enforcement could be trained to assist the federal government.”

But until that happens, immigration is strictly a federal issue, Willis reiterated.

Town hall meeting
Nonetheless, Jenkins is moving forward with his initiative to curb illegal immigration at the local level. He will host a town hall meeting on the topic Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Culpeper County Library, and invited all who have an opinion to attend.

“Right now is a good time to enact ordinances like Hazleton did that are based on deterrents more than consequences,” Jenkins said. “We don’t want illegal immigrants pulling our resources down and taking advantage of our community, and we’re going to hold those accountable who aid and abet it.”

Mayor Rimeikis said he would not be attending the gathering and was doubtful that any real solutions would come out of it. The issue is so complex, he added, and not within the local realm. Is it possible to tell if someone is an illegal immigrant just by looking at them, he asked, and who would enforce these local laws? Law enforcement resources in Culpeper are stretched to limit as it is, Rimeikis said.

“You tell me who the illegal ones are,” he said. “And even if we could identify 50 illegal immigrants, what would we do with them? We are certainly not going to escort them to the county or town line.”

Anyway, Rimeikis said, many immigrants - perhaps like his parents - come to America in search of a better life.

“How can you blame someone who wants to better themselves and take care of their family?” he said. “It’s just insane to think that we should take something like that on.”

For Jenkins, it’s a simple matter of public safety and abiding by the law.

“If you have individuals that do not have any form of legal residency, no documentation, no passports, there is no way that we can actually ascertain who they are or where they live,” he said. “From the perspective of harassing citizens or possible criminal action toward citizens, they can do these offenses and there’s no way to know who they are.

“I don’t think we should be expecting local government to go to great lengths to accommodate any nationality or their language.”

Allison Brophy Champion can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 101 or abrophy@starexponent.com

Want to go?

Have an opinion on illegal immigration? Town Councilman Steve Jenkins wants to hear it. He is hosting a town hall meeting Saturday, Sept. 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Culpeper County Library.

The 41-year-old husband and father of two set up shop at El Nopal about two years ago, and the store quickly became a center for Hispanic resources and political activism.

The way station for the illegal railroad. The "seed" food joint that serves as the outpost for the troops.
Not long ago we read about a couple (Chinese) that were arrested and deported for hiring illegals, bringing them in to work and not paying taxes. I wonder if anyone has looked at this guy's cash flow.

If anyone is familair with Virginia and the problems they have with illegals, this won't come as a schock. Trust me, they are fighting a losing battle.

People are worried about the possibilities of the council approving any ordinance that can upset their lives.”

Can you believe this ignorant statement??? Upset their lives???!! Look, you have turned mine upside down....I could care less how upset your life gets!!

Originally Posted by gofer

People are worried about the possibilities of the council approving any ordinance that can upset their lives.”

Can you believe this ignorant statement??? Upset their lives???!! Look, you have turned mine upside down....I could care less how upset your life gets!!

No Kidding!!