Prince William official urges state immigration laws
By Tyler Whitley | TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Published: June 23, 2010

Richmond—The fight over illegal immigration that is playing out in Arizona and Nebraska will come to Virginia’s state Capitol next year if the chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors gets his way.

Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart’s campaign includes an online petition urging Virginia lawmakers to make new state immigration laws.

The measures would, in part, allow law enforcement to break up day-labor operations; prohibit solicitation for work along all public roads; and allow Virginia law-enforcement officials to arrest illegal immigrants without a warrant if they have reasonable suspicion that the arrest would lead to deportation.

The Prince William chairman’s proposals follow Arizona’s enactment of a law that make illegal immigration a state crime. On Monday, the city of Fremont, Neb. passed an ordinance that makes it illegal to harbor, hire or rent to illegal immigrants.

Three years ago, Prince William became the epicenter of the illegal-immigration debate in Virginia when the county initiated its own crackdown on illegal immigration.

“Illegal aliens fled the county, and the violent crime rate plummeted,“ Stewart says in his online petition. “It is now time to protect all communities in Virginia from the effects of illegal immigration.“

He calls on supporters to “join me in our effort to protect every county and city in the commonwealth by following Prince William County’s and Arizona’s lead and enforce the rule of law.“

Del. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee, said bills dealing with illegal immigration have been introduced in recent years in the House of Delegates and then killed in the state Senate.

He said he thinks the proposed day-laborer bill would be unconstitutional because it prohibits freedom of assembly. A bill to curb solicitation along public roads was introduced in this year’s assembly but got nowhere, Albo said.

He and then-Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, met with federal immigration officials three years ago but could not get a commitment as to which crimes would merit deportation, he said.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga, lobbyist for pro-immigrant groups, said many of Stewart’s proposals either are redundant or unconstitutional.

“It’s definitely disappointing to see these actionsâ€