Local border crossings

Gov. Martin O’Malley, the Maryland General Assembly and politicians in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties appear to be laying the groundwork for a population exchange with Virginia and other neighboring states. The trading works this way: Maryland overtaxes tax small- and medium-sized computer businesses, but lays out the welcome mat for illegal aliens; meanwhile, Virginia yanks the welcome mat for illegals, but is prepared to welcome businesses from Maryland. Sound far-fetched? It really isn’t.

Arlo Wagner of The Washington Times recently reported on the fact that months after Prince William County began one of the country’s strongest crackdowns on illegal immigration, officials and residents say that illegals are leaving. That’s not surprising, because Virginia has become increasingly inhospitable to illegals and has barred them from obtaining driver’s licenses.

But Maryland has been moving in the opposite direction, with politicians permitting illegals to obtain driver’s licenses and putting out the welcome mat for them to resettle in the state. In October, when Prince William County enacted legislation allowing police to ask questions about immigration status, Montgomery County responded to reports that illegals were migrating to his county by complaining that Virginians were trying to “shift the burdenâ€