Spotsylvania votes to count illegal immigrants

Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007 - 12:08 AM Updated: 12:34 AM
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/news/stat ... -0139.html
By KIRAN KRISHNAMURTHY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

SPOTSYLVANIA -- Officials in this booming county voted unanimously yesterday to find out how many people here are illegal immigrants and determine what services can be denied to undocumented residents.

"We should find out exactly what is going on in our county," said Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors Chairman Chris Yakabouski, who proposed the action.

Spotsylvania joins a growing number of places in Virginia taking steps to confront illegal immigration at the local level.

Spotsylvania officials plan to look at what actions other localities have taken and the implications of those. Yakabouski mentioned Culpeper County's recent move to affirm English as the official language, as well as Prince William and Loudoun counties' efforts to deny some public services and have local police enforce federal immigration law. In the Richmond area, Chesterfield County officials are expected to report on the impact of illegal immigrants in the coming weeks.

Spotsylvania Supervisor Henry Connors Jr. said yesterday he wants to take a look at the scope of the issue, but he urged caution. "We do have a growing Hispanic population, but that doesn't mean we have a growing illegal population," he said, adding he does not want to promote racial profiling.

Yakabouski said he hopes that all legal immigrants, whether Hispanic or Asian or from elsewhere, would support the county's efforts. "Illegal immigration is a drain on our tax dollars," he said.

Spotsylvania officials also are considering tightening housing measures because of some residents' complaints about crowding in homes and an overflow of cars parked on lawns and narrow streets.

Spotsylvania's Hispanic population more than doubled between 2000 to 2006, reaching 7,152 of the county's total population of 119,529, according to recent census data. That growth rate among Hispanics ranked Spotsylvania third in the nation among counties with populations greater than 100,000 -- higher than Stafford, Loudoun or Prince William counties, which ranked fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Yakabouski asked county staff to report back as soon as possible but to be thorough. In Prince William, county staff are to report by early October on what public services can be denied to illegal immigrants and what would constitute probable cause for a police officer to seek information about someone's legal status.
Contact Kiran Krishnamurthy at (540) 371-4792 or kkrishnamurthy@timesdispatch.com.



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Spotsylvania, Culpeper seek solutions to illegal immigration

08/15/2007
http://www.wvec.com/sharedcontent/APSto ... GAO0.html#
Associated Press


Two Virginia localities have taken initial steps to address illegal immigration.

In Spotsylvania County, supervisors voted Tuesday to find out how many people in the county are illegal immigrants. They also voted to see what services can be denied to undocumented residents.

In Culpeper, residents urged their leaders Tuesday to do more about undocumented aliens, and they responded by passing a resolution.

The vote came one week after the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution declaring English as the county's official language.

Spotsylvania county is attempting to define the problem.

"We should find out exactly what is going on in our county," County Board of Supervisors Chairman Chris Yakabouski said.

Supervisor Henry Connors Jr. said that while he wants to look at the scope of the issue, he wants to avoid racial profiling.

"We do have a growing Hispanic population, but that doesn't mean we have a growing illegal population," Connors said.

Spotsylvania's Hispanic population more than doubled between 2000 to 2006, reaching 7,152 of the county's total population of 119,529, according to census data obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In Culpeper, which has grappled with the issue for more than a year, a dozen speakers criticized the federal government and pressured the Town Council to take some action.

In response, the council voted unanimously to request that a town and county committee come up with a resolution to combat illegal aliens.

Councilman Steve Jenkins, who initiated the motion, suggested that the resolution be in line with the ones already passed in Prince William and Loudoun counties, in northern Virginia.

The resolution is largely symbolic and does not obligate the Town Council to any course of action, Councilman Billy Yowell said.
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