Thread: EDITORIALS : Prince William County in Virginia

Rolling Up The Welcome Mat
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
http://www.investors.com
Posted 10/19/2007

Immigration: Prince William County in Virginia is the latest government entity to cut off benefits to those who aren't citizens or legal residents and reduce the burden on those who are.



A growing trend among local jurisdictions to not wait for the federal government to deal forcefully with the problem of illegal immigration and the burdens it places on society has spread to Northern Virginia.

After a 12-hour meeting that ended in the wee hours last Wednesday, the eight-member Prince William Board of Supervisors passed stringent restrictions on benefits and services available to illegal aliens.

In addition, Prince William County officials have appropriated $325,000 to hire seven people for a new Criminal Alien Unit. Some of the money will be used to show police officers how to determine probable cause for checking someone's immigration status.

The officers will also be trained to "enforce immigration laws" and work with a 287(g) federal partnership in which local law enforcement officials learn how to enforce federal immigration laws, according to Supervisor John Stirrup.

Other communities across the nation have joined the fight to enforce immigration laws already on the books. They include Jack Benny's home town of Waukegan, Ill., which is not quite so willing to play the violin over the plight of illegal aliens whose very entry into the U.S. was a criminal act.

On July 16, the Waukegan City Council voted 8-2 to reaffirm the council's decision to join and cooperate with federal efforts to find and deport illegal aliens who have committed violent crimes.

Moving forward with 287(g) means Waukegan police could obtain authority to begin deportation proceedings for illegal residents convicted of violent crimes and drug violations.

We welcome such efforts by governments at all levels to enforce all laws — federal, state and local.

Supervisor Martin Nohe says the Prince William crackdown will not be a witch hunt and that only the "worst of the worst" will be targeted. "We will not be randomly asking people's immigration status," he said. "There are not going to be any sweeps or roadblocks."



What there is going to be is a recognition that illegal aliens are, well, illegal, and that their presence here carries with it huge economic, social and, potentially, national-security costs.

"We are dealing with a problem that's been undermining the quality of life in the county, period," says Corey Stewart, the board chairman. "There is nothing more to it."

Supervisor Stirrup says the rising crime rate in Prince William is related to the flood of illegal immigrants. More than one in five detainees in the county jail are illegal, and 56 illegals have been sent to federal authorities for deportation. This will happen only if local authorities check their status and inform the feds.

The city of Hazleton, Pa., feeling the added burden of illegal immigration in terms of crime and economics, decided to start removing incentives and enforce the law — both its own and that of an ambivalent federal government.

Under the leadership of Mayor Louis Barletta, it passed an ordinance penalizing landlords who rent to illegals, and businesses that give them jobs.

The American Civil Liberties Union, as usual, and various Hispanic groups successfully filed suit, calling the city's action divisive and racist and claiming it trampled on the federal government's exclusive power to regulate immigration.

Of course, these groups oppose any restrictions on illegal immigration at any level of government.

Mayor Barletta believes it has nothing to do with regulation and everything to do with enforcement of existing law. And if the feds are lax, he believes cities, and even states, must pick up the slack.

He denies racism is the motive, saying, "What I'm doing here is protecting the legal taxpayer of any race."

We wish Prince William County well. America's immigration policy should consist of fewer carrots and more and bigger sticks.



Editorial: Illegal alienation

http://www.roanoke.com


Localities that have to contend with issues surrounding illegal immigration should see this ordinance for what it is -- a mess.

Virginians might look to Prince William County for lessons on how not to respond to illegal immigration.

Supervisors passed an ordinance last week that doesn't have the law enforcement teeth to do most of what its supporters expect; where it does have teeth, it invites racial profiling, sets the stage for more crime and mandates a hard-heartedness that appalls.

Supporters want relief from the burdens -- some perceived, some real -- that illegal immigrants put on public schools and health care services. But localities cannot exclude children from public classrooms or deny people emergency care.

Nor can local police round up illegal immigrants and deport them.

What Prince William County police can do, and are now mandated to do, is check the immigration status of anyone who breaks a law, no matter how minor, if there is probable cause to think the person is an illegal immigrant. But, supervisors specified, the county does not want to engage in "racial profiling."

What, then, besides someone's apparent immigrant background will constitute probable cause when a driver is stopped, say, for having a broken taillight? Some lucky drivers will get away with a warning, some will get a ticket, and some will be delayed several hours while authorities check out their identification and consult with federal immigration officers.

A foreshadowing of who will feel the brunt comes from Yolanda Lemus, an American citizen born in Salvador, who after last week's supervisors' vote told The Washington Post: "We get the looks. I've felt it since this whole thing first came out. You don't have to be a criminal."

And in the end, the county police chief warned, federal immigration agents still will be deciding who to pick up. They won't be able to take custody of every illegal immigrant with a broken taillight. So local police still will release minor offenders, but pass their personal information along to immigration enforcement, which can start deportation procedures. Or not. Likely, not.

Then there are the services the county will deny to illegal immigrants, among them: substance abuse programs to jail inmates and a substance abuse outreach program for juveniles. But substance abuse contributes to all manner of bad behavior, including criminal activity. Surely denying treatment to a group of people demonized as "illegals" will have a bad impact on the community at large.

For pure, inexplicable meanness, though, Prince William hardly can beat its denial of identification services, including fingerprinting, for old and disabled people who might wander away from home.

The county's illegal immigrant crackdown is being challenged in court, and legal experts hazard no guesses about whether it will survive. Already, though, it has torn apart the community in ways not easily healed.




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theres more I just have to find what i did with them

Yes, PWC Supervisors took a hard step to do the Federal Governments Job. However, I take offense at the statement that indicates we are a community "torn apart". The only people who think that are those who don't belong here. I carefully watched most of the testimony, and watch the one sided news organization report some of the most incredibly stupid stories that for the most part...are not true. When the rubber met the road, the Board decided in favor of loyal American citizens.

As for the court actions awaiting PWC...Let the ACLU and the bleeding hearts do whatever they think is necessary. I am hoping that the justice system sees what is going on, leaves PWC alone and charges the Federal Government with whatever charges are necessary to get their attention. Personally, I feel that PWC should and must sue the Federal Government to recover whatever cost is incurred by the new policies (training of the officers, care and feeding of the illegals, etc) and for the Feds appearent inability to do their jobs. I think that Jorge Boosh would even get the picture. My continued support for Mr. Stewart and the other supervisors continuing this direction is and will be undeniable.