Thread: Virginia sweeps out immigrant sex offenders

Friday, March 14, 2008
Virginia sweeps out immigrant sex offenders
By John Gramlich, Stateline.org Staff Writer


A recent law-enforcement operation in Virginia that will result in the deportation of at least 171 immigrant sex offenders — including some who came to the United States legally and have been out of prison for years — has spurred debate over whether the crackdown is fair and if other states should carry out similar sweeps.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) last month announced that his office and state police had teamed up to help the federal government identify and deport the foreign-born sex offenders. Hundreds of others still are being evaluated and also could be removed from the country as a result of the state-led initiative, believed to be the first of its kind.

The sex offenders to be deported include illegal immigrants already incarcerated in Virginia prisons and jails — where they first will complete criminal sentences — as well as others who entered the country lawfully and served time here years ago. The group is made up of offenders from diverse countries, ranging from Cuba and Honduras in Latin America to Scotland and Germany in Europe.

McDonnell now is lobbying officials from other states to copy Virginia’s initiative. At an annual conference of state attorneys general last week in Washington, D.C., he urged his counterparts from across the nation to do more to help federal authorities find and deport all immigrants convicted of sex crimes.

“People who commit crimes who are aliens, whether legal or illegal … need to go back to their home countries,â€

[quote]But including legal immigrants in Virginia’s crackdown has angered some pro-immigrant activists, who claim the state is going too far.

Critics say deportation is an “additional penaltyâ€

They should sweep for them all over the country! These are not the kind of people we want on our streets waiting for the next innocent U.S. victim.

Out with them all!