Loudoun may restrict services to illegal immigrants
By: Jason Jacks

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed July 17 to examine ways of curbing the availability of some public services to illegal immigrants and to encourage the Sheriff's Office to enforce federal immigration laws.
The resolution, similar to one adopted by Prince William County earlier this month, came after supervisors also agreed to send a letter to Herndon officials stating their opposition to the continued operation of a day-laborer site near the Loudoun border.

"No one on this dais is a racist," said board Vice Chairman Bruce Tulloch (R-Potomac). "What we are doing is standing up for taxpayers."

Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) introduced the illegal immigration resolution the night before the board met on Tuesday, explaining that undocumented people are creating an environment of "economic hardship and lawlessness," particularly in Sterling.

In a 9-0 vote, supervisors agreed to send Delgaudio's resolution to county staff for suggestions on how to proceed. The board could vote to adopt the resolution in September.

At a press conference in front of the county's government center in Leesburg Tuesday morning, Delgaudio said Loudoun's government "is at fault" for rewarding illegal immigration by giving those here illegally access to "taxpayer-funded" services, such as housing and health-care assistance.

He estimated that banning most public services from illegal immigrants would save the county $20 million annually, though it was unclear how that figure was calculated.

"Giving away free services to people whose very presence is a felony is unfair to people who obey the law," he said. "More and more of their own money goes to support lawbreakers and subsidizing increasing problems of overcrowding, litter and gang crime."

During public comment, only three people spoke on the resolution, with two saying they favored a stricter immigration policy in Loudoun.

"It will send a message that Loudoun is not the place to come if you are an illegal immigrant," said Joseph Budzinski, a spokesman for Help Save Loudoun, an organization that supports local governments enforcing immigration laws.

Meanwhile, Republican Loudoun sheriff candidate Greg Ahlemann told the board that the Sheriff's Office should "cancel contracts" it has with towing and car-washing companies, if it's found they employ undocumented workers.

Along those same lines, supervisors agreed to include language in the resolution that would penalize local businesses that employ illegal immigrants, perhaps by denying county permits.

Staring at news cameras erected in the board room, Chairman Scott York (I-at large) chastised the federal government for putting local jurisdictions in a position that they need to consider a resolution like Delgaudio's.

"This is a problem that the federal government refuses to deal with," York said. "Because of a lack of enforcement at the top, the bottom has to react."

Meanwhile, in another 9-0 vote, the board earlier in the day expressed opposition to a day-laborer site operating across the border in Herndon because officials there are reportedly not checking the legal status of workers.

The town is considering a special exception that would keep the center open for another year.

Some supervisors said they were concerned that laborers using the center to find work were accessing it from Loudoun.

"I've witnessed day laborers all over that site," said Tulloch. "It's not controllable."

Renee Anderson, deputy clerk for the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors said she has heard about the rumblings from neighboring boards, "but I haven't heard anything about it here on a local level" - neither supervisors nor county residents calling for a similar debate.

Sheriff Charley Ray Fox Jr. said he has spoken to the county attorney's office about the impact on his agency should the county adopt a policy similar to Prince William and Loudoun's.

Currently, Fauquier deputies obtain immigration status for those arrested for felony and misdemeanor violations.

If it is determined that they are illegal immigrants, deputies notify Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents.

Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com

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