Will illegal immigration coalition stand together?

Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis, chairman of the Local Government Coalition on Illegal Aliens, leads Thursday’s meeting in Culpeper. Six fellow members attended.


By Allison Brophy Champion

Published: December 11, 2008

After meeting in Culpeper seven times since fall of last year, the Virginia Local Government Coalition on Illegal Aliens is moving to make a single recommendation to the state to enact legislation that would require employers to conduct deeper checks on the immigration status of potential employees — or face up to a year in jail.

But it remains to be seen just how many of the 20 or more localities originally represented on the coalition will sign off on supporting such a law now that the public drone of illegal immigration enforcement has lessened in the face of a sour economy.

Six members from five localities attended the group’s latest meeting on a cold, rainy Thursday at Germanna Community College in Culpeper.

Though not members, Culpeper Town Councilman Steve Jenkins, whose idea it was to form the coalition, and Mayor Pranas Rimeikis, who serves on the state’s Commission on Immigration, also attended.

“There is no coalition,â€