Vol. 71/No. 40 October 29, 2007


Workers protest Virginia anti-immigrant laws
(lead article)

BY SETH DELLINGER
WOODBRIDGE, Virginia—More than 2,000 immigrant workers and their supporters packed the meeting chamber, hallways, and surrounding grounds of the Prince William County offices October 16. They turned out for a meeting of the county board of supervisors to oppose anti-immigrant measures that would deny some social services to the undocumented and give local cops the power to investigate the immigration status of those they arrest.
The board had initially approved the measures July 10 but delayed funding them until completion of a study of which services could be legally denied to undocumented immigrants.

After public comments by nearly 400 speakers, most of whom spoke against the measures, the supervisors voted to approve their initial funding. Left unresolved was long-term funding of the measures.

Once the meeting room and overflow seats were filled to capacity, hundreds more workers formed a picket line outside. They chanted for hours on end, many staying until the meeting ended at 2:30 a.m.

Among the favorite chants were “AquÃ* estamos, y no nos vamos!â€