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The Battle Lines For the ‘08 GA Session
By Greg L | 15 November 2007 | Illegal Aliens, Virginia Politics | 10 Comments
As the Washington Post reports, an overwhelming proportion (80%) of Virginians want state and local police to check the immigration status of anyone suspected of committing a crime when there’s probable cause to believe the person may be an illegal alien. The Virginia Crime Commission is following this public conviction and recommending that Virginia State Troopers do precisely this. But Delegate Dave Albo, who heads this Commission, points out that in his view the chances of this actually happening are next to zero, since Governor Kaine is hostile to this idea, Democrats have taken a majority of the seats in the state Senate, and he thinks it’s impractical anyways.
Oh, are we playing with fire here, Delegate Albo. But I don’t fault you too much for doing so.
It’s not any surprise that Governor Kaine is hostile to the idea of having the Commonwealth play any role in immigration enforcement. He’s characteristically saying that this is all a federal problem, and that “it’s not the Commonwealth’s job to pick up the slack for the federal government”, despite the fact that is what our state government consistently involves itself with. Do we pick up the slack with federal public entitlement programs when they’re not as generous to recipients as some would like? You betcha. Do state and local police officers help to enforce federal laws under which federal law enforcement has primary jurisdiction such as kidnapping, bank robbery and money laundering? Absolutely. When it comes to this specific area of federal law, however, Kaine wants to wash his hands of it and deny that there’s a role for state and local governments to play, no matter how Virginians overwhelmingly clamor for protection from the serious and undeniable negative effects of illegal aliens unlawfully residing in the Commonwealth.
Virginia Democrats aren’t necessarily as hostile to the notion of providing relief as their state leadership seems to be. Delegate-elect Paul Nichols is genuinely open to this idea. Senator-elect Chap Peterson hasn’t specifically weighed in on this specific proposal, but hasn’t shot it down. Plenty of Democrats in the House, and even in the Senate have supported proposals to have the Commonwealth effectively engage in this effort to reduce the number of illegal aliens in Virginia, and if they hear from constituents about this, it is hardly a foregone conclusion that they’ll be supportive on this issue. Brian Moran won’t help at all, but that doesn’t at all mean that the rest of his caucus and the Senate Democrats will necessarily take marching orders from him on this.
The critical part of getting this tough policy, similar to the one recently adopted in Prince William County, rolling at the state level is demonstrating how effective this can be prior to the start of the General Assembly session. The Prince William County Police Department will be ready to start implementing this policy sometime during the General Assembly session, according to the training timeline that Chief Deane has laid out. It will likely generate considerable media attention, and if what has happened in other jurisdictions where more stringent policies have been adopted holds true in Prince William County, there will be a hugely powerful success story to promote, hopefully at the same time that the General Assembly is considering legislation to duplicate this police state-wide. Should this be as successful as I think it will be in significantly deterring illegal aliens from residing in Prince William County, the appeal to implement this state-wide from constituents to the General Assembly will be positively deafening.
Delegate Albo, being stuck in the sanctuary jurisdiction of Fairfax County where Gerry Connolly is determined to leave out “the welcome mat”, as he puts it, should be forgiven for not understanding the perfect storm that is gathering for the upcoming General Assembly session. Focusing on easier-to-pass legislative initiatives such as denying bail to illegal aliens at this point is a smart tactic, since building consensus on the need for reform on this issue is important for Virginia and good politics. When the demonstrated effect of policies in Prince William County and other states and localities across the United States which are taking tough stands on this issue becomes clearer, which should be just about the time that the General Assembly considers getting our state and local law enforcement agencies engaged in this battle to protect our communities, tough measures at the state level are going to be a thoroughly compelling initiative.
If the citizens are effective in communicating to their elected representatives in the General Assembly why 80% of them think Virginia State Police should be inquiring about immigration status at the same time these policies are shown to be effective, the House and Senate will put these bills on the desk of the Governor, and he’ll have a tough choice to make, of whether he will support the interests of the illegal alien lobby as he has in the past, or whether he will support the interests of the citizens of the Commonwealth. If he picks the wrong side here, as Lou Dobbs said tonight, “Governor Kaine, meet Governor Spitzer.”
He’s not going to like that one bit. Good.
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It’s pretty clear to me that the voters in this state don’t think that illegal immigration is the most important issue for them or else the dems would not have gained control of the GA. There were other more pressing issues such as transportation, taxes, education, etc. The Iraq war took its toll as well. People are just plain sick of republicans all over this country and are voting in dems just BECAUSE they aren’t repubs. I would probably be doing the same thing if illegal immigration wasn’t my primary concern. George W. Bush and his cronies has given this party a black eye that will sting for the next 2 decades. Repubs have proven that they are incapable of running a chinese buffet yet alone a state or a country. We here in Virginia proved that fact pretty well with the Kopko/Gill fiasco. As much as I hate where we are right now and where inevitably things will go now with more unchecked illegal immigration, I have to say we deserve it.
Interesting to note that Frank Wolf has still not signed on as a co-sponsor supporting the SAVE ACT (H.R. 4088.) About 100 Democrats and Republicans have signed onto this bill in attempts to control illegal immigrants from obtaining jobs by using e-verify. Where is Wolf?
Same for Tom Davis. He had NOT signed on as co-sponsor for the SAVE ACT as of yesterday.
Immigrants Haven’t Worn Out The Welcome Mat in Arlington
By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 15, 2007; Page A01
When nearby counties began trying to drive out illegal immigrants this summer, Arlington said it would treat everyone with “dignity and respect, regardless of immigration status.”
Other counties felt overwhelmed by immigrants, but Arlington officials said they would happily provide them with every service allowed by law.
After three decades of working to make foreigners feel welcome, Arlington has good reason to pointedly reaffirm this philosophical embrace. More than one in four residents is a first- or second-generation immigrant, yet the county boasts low crime and unemployment rates. School test scores are high, and newcomers interact peaceably with fifth-generation residents. That success results in part from the county’s history of attracting a gradual, diverse stream of foreigners and in part from its strong efforts to help integrate them in the community
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/14/AR2007111402322.html?hpid=artslot
Perhaps PWC could learn some lessons from its neighbors to the north.
Hey, Ducky, perhaps you could learn something yourself by getting up off your ass and going to Arlington to see what is actually going on instead of relying on some Communist writer for a Communist newspaper to do it for you. As one commenter to the article says, “There is no “diversity” in Arlington. None. Zero. Vast sections of South Arlington are 90 percent Latino. A couple of pockets in South Arlington are 90 percent African-American. And 99 percent of North Arlington above Lee Highway is 99 percent white. That is NOT diversity. That is apartheid. That is segregation. De jure, government-sponsored segregation.”
That’s what Tejada’s Arlington is all about.
When statistical samples are taken, where do you think they come from?
Hey Anonymous:
Since you brought up the Wolf-less subject, I’ll wager that not only doesn’t he sign on as a sponsor to the SAVE act, he either votes against it or does not vote at all. He’ll probably take a “fact-finding” trip to Darfur when the vote comes up.
Arlington IS segregated. Whoever posted this is correct! North Arlington is mainly white while further down Glebe Road you’ll find areas all Hispanic and full of illegals, then in the Hoss Hill/Green Valley/Nauck area, they are mostly black going back decades. I know people from Arlington and they too are upset at the illegal immigrants that have ran this community down too but can’t do anything about it. Walter Tejada welcomes the illegals.
On another note, The Virginia State Police is already involved with deporting illegals but it’s not advertised!
I am very doubtful that the resolution passed in PWC will be as successful as you think, Greg. First of all I am willing to bet that the Police Dept does not enforce it; heck, Charlie Deane stood in front of the board and told them he was not in favor of it. If the Chief of Police is not excited about it then i don’t think his troops will be. Second of all, for arguments sake let’s say that the resolution is enforced; we all know that if the police throw the illegals in the county jail that it will take forever for ICE to come and deport them, if they do so at all. Everyone knows that this resolution is nothing but a form of lip service on the part of the BOCS and in the long haul will not solve the problem of illegal immigration. As long as there are jobs here for the illegals then they will continue to flock to this area.
Communities are welcoming illegal aliens to their own detriment. What I find unforgivable is the relationship of a legal resident Ethnic group promoting illegal activity, just because they favor only their ethnic group in a self-segregating supremist neighborhood. People are bluring the battlelines and missing the whole point about “illegal” aliens. Removing “illegal” aliens is not about ethnic hatred a racism, and not about just looking out for your own ethnic group and race, but that’s what supremist minority ethnic groups are doing. Illegal alien removal is about community financial welfare, preservation of an American culture before racists destroy it and looking out for the safty and security of citizens in a rising crime wave, associated with “illegal” alien prescence.
There is a HUGE difference between Illegal Aliens and “racist supremacy” legal ethnic groups.
Illegal aliens are illegal, many are TERRORISTS.
Racists are ethnic supremists, of ALL the current in your face ethnicity groups.
So why does everyone keep missing the point about “racism”? and confusing that with “illegal” behavior? Because racist supremists want to take care of only thei race or ethnic group, even if a portion of that group is breaking the law and advocating illegal acts as “something to promote and accept” as it gets rammed down yout throat by ignorant liberals and ethnic supremacist minority groups.
Racism still exists to the extent it does in this country, because the government still allows racial, religious, gender and ethnic groups to put a “label” on themselves, & hate everyone not like themselves, and cater to only their group’s interests. (BTW every ethnicity is GUILTY to the max about that kind of self-supremacy).The problem is getting much worse as “latinos” add their own form of “in your face racism”, to a racism situation that WAS disappearing and declining 10 years ago as Whites bought into the fairness and ethic if it. Now everyone is seeing these groups just lie, and lie and lie, and just take care of themselves, by self-segregating themselves.
The backlash started when gender supremacy groups began to advocate for laws to privilige just their own gender, and then ethnic groups began to advocate for laws to privilige just their own ethnic group, and then religious groups began to advocate for laws to privilige just their own religious group, and CONGRESS and the Judical branch are guilty of letting it get so acrimnonious and disgusting and fracturing the nation as it is today and not doing a thing about it (because they are supremacists interested only in thier group). No EEOC violation now gets punished (Such as spanish workers getting special hiring considerations in National chain banks and no lawsuits are being enforced or lawsuits filed.
If you want to get rid of racisim and don’t want to see a HUGE backlash in response to the open and arrogant racisim of latino’s toward whites and blacks, (and even some asians and muslims) and latino supremacy attitudes of the “illegal” alien advocacy groups, the we must all put a stop to ALL of it. The Executive branch needs to lead it if their is any leadership left, and everybody needs to stop picking on just whites, they for the most part have been silent about reverse racism.
To stop it ALL, WE must BAN all reference to each other in terms of gender, racial, ethnic, and religious group labeling and privilige seeking. What a concept! Huh?
THAT is the problem my dear friends. It must become enforceable law, starting with business hiring practices favoring ethnicities and the largest ethnic groups now practicing racism, supremacy, and ethnic privilige in the country. Now who would that be? Betcha you are racially biased!
Some of us here are actually trying to stop this crap before it gets far worse.
If you work for Charlie Deane and push enforcement of any ordinance he is publically announcing as immoral, he will find a way to get rid of you. All of this debate about the enforcement of immigration laws will amount to no action by local officials appointed to enforce local and state laws.
Any enforcement of this measure will only occur after arrestees have been taken into custody on unrelated charges. When street officers encounter illegals on the street they will have a very short tenure with PWC if they enforce immigration statutes without the suspect being detained on unrelated charges.
Charlie Deane will not post the arrest statistics related to immigration enforcement which details charges made solely for code enforcement, or charges made after detention on unrelated matters.
Enforcement of laws by public perception, not public safety.