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Culpeper councilman revives illegal immigrant effort
By the Associated Press

January 13, 2007

CULPEPER, Va. -- A town councilman who has pressed for local enforcement of illegal immigration is reviving his campaign in 2007.

Since Councilman Steve Jenkins took office in July 2006 he has proposed making English the official language of Culpeper and fining landlords and employees for doing business with undocumented aliens.

His proposals, however, have received little support from the other eight council members.

Jenkins' latest proposal to form an immigration task force will come before the Town Council on Jan. 29.

The task force would "look more in depth at the impacts of undocumented immigrants on our community," Jenkins said, "and what we can and cannot do in regards to our ordinances."

The Culpeper native has said he speaks for the majority in this community of 15,000.

Culpeper County's Hispanic population has more than doubled since 2000, reaching about 2,345 of the county's 42,530 residents, or 5.5 percent.

In response to a petition signed by 225 Culpeper residents endorsing enforcement locally of illegal immigration, Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, wrote to Town Manager Brannon Godfrey.

"I value the thoughts of the Culpeper Town Council regarding immigration policy," he said.

Warner outlined the steps Congress has taken and will take in the coming year to combat the problem, but did not address the issue of local enforcement.

The senator said he would "be certain to keep your views and those of the citizens of Culpeper in mind" as Congress moves forward with border security and immigration issues.

Jenkins said day laborers who gather at a shopping mall every morning to wait for work illustrate the problem. He said he would not support a shelter for day laborers.

"I wouldn't even entertain it," he said. "The situation at the Town Mall has to be tended to."

He said police instead should move to disperse the crowd of job seekers.

"If it was 20 of us Americans, the police would go to that location and ask us to move along," he said. "I don't know why we are not doing so here."

He added, "If they are in this country legally, they can go to the employment agency."