Delicate task in illegal immigration

The Virginian-Pilot
© April 7, 2007

It is cruel coincidence that just as two teenage girls were killed in a Virginia Beach car accident, allegedly by a drunken driver who admits he's an illegal immigrant, the Virginia State Crime Commission announced it will embark on a study of how illegal immigration affects the state's criminal justice system.

The decision by the commission, headed by Virginia Beach Sen. Kenneth Stolle, might clarify how the issue clogs the courts, how well state and federal officials coordinate their efforts, and what law enforcement officials should be doing differently. The commission will form a 16-member task force to investigate.

But its role might be limited. "There's a huge misunderstanding about what we can do on illegal immigration," Stolle said. "It's not a criminal offense in Virginia, that the [state] can enforce, if you're an illegal immigrant."

One suggestion to the task force: Resist easy answers. This is a thicket where bureaucratic regulations, lax federal enforcement, cheap labor and xenophobia have germinated to produce an out-of-control mess. Anti-immigrant sentiments threaten to paint illegals and legals with the same broad brush, and to portray all brown-skinned persons who speak Spanish as wrongdoers.

The recent deaths of Alison Kunhardt, 17, and Tessa Tranchant, 16, bring the issue into sharp focus. Alfredo Ramos, 22, charged with manslaughter, has a record of alcohol-related convictions in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. Residents in the region rightly question why Ramos, when he was convicted of the earlier crimes, wasn't arrested or deported for immigration violations.

Attorney General Bob McDonnell has urged Gov. Tim Kaine to sign agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to make it easier for the State Police to handle public safety issues involving illegal immigration. McDonnell also wants localities to get broader enforcement authority. Kaine's spokesman has said the governor declined to sign the agreements with ICE, in part, because immigration is a federal issue, and because the State Police has enough on its plate. Bills in the General Assembly this session giving state and local police more immigration authority didn't pass.

The issue should be revisited - along with the possible drawbacks of making city police departments handle a federal task.

Meanwhile, federal officials must shoulder their responsibility, in a state where an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 illegal immigrants live. A common complaint is that the federal government declines to enforce the law uniformly.

None of this will bring back Alison and Tessa. It would be a fitting legacy, however, if their deaths cause some progress to be made on the illegal immigration stalemate.

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