Bacon's Rebellion

Kilgore Back for Seconds on Herndon Illegal Alien Flap

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by

James A. Bacon
in

The Kilgore campaign has issued a statement on the Town of Herndon’s decision to spend $175,000 in local funds to support a location for day laborers, many of them illegal aliens, to gather. The statement makes it crystal clear that Kilgore’s problem isn’t with immigrants, it’s with illegal immigrants.

“Legal immigration made this country what it is today and we honor those who have followed the example of other generations by becoming hard-working, law-abiding citizens who contribute daily to our uniquely American way of life. …

“When we begin to use public resources to reward and encourage illegal behavior, we demean those who have followed the rules and entice others to continue to flaunt our laws. I do not believe it is too much to ask that people obey the laws of our society before they attempt to take advantage of what our society has to offer. Were the day labor centers under consideration equipped with a mechanism to verify that taxpayer dollars are not subsidizing illegal behavior, I would support them. …

“As Governor, I would support legislation that clarifies Virginia law to say that those who are illegally present are not eligible for public benefits, including the expenditure of taxpayer money for services such as day labor centers.”

Other than the fact that the statement refers to”others who continue to flaunt our laws” when he means “flout” our laws, I have no problem with this statement.

Still, I recognize that this is not a cut-and-dried issue. WRVA radio interviewed a Herndon town councilman this morning who described the nuisance created by scores of day laborers loitering around the 7/11. Town officials don’t like the idea of catering to illegal aliens either. But they don’t know what else to do. They have asked federal Immigration and Naturalization officials to crack down on the gathering, only to be told that, with the war on terror and all, the INS lacks the resources to do so. Herndon officials asked if they could be deputized to enforce federal law. The answer: No.

Finally, the councilman noted, the Virginia State Police has declined to apply for permission to be deputized, as police in other states have done. That sounds like an issue worth following up. Why not? And whose decision was it not to seek that permission?

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  1. Will Vehrs Avatar
    Will Vehrs

    Usually, when the Feds fail, there is a clamor for the states to act. Apparently, on this issue, that does not hold true in Virginia the way it does in Arizona and New Mexico.

    Interestingly, the supposed “coward,” Jerry Kilgore, has taken a strong position. Just what is the position of Potts and Kaine?

  2. Not Larry Sabato Avatar
    Not Larry Sabato

    Perhaps the most interesting move was made last week in New Mexico by Governor Bill Richardson (D). He declared a disaster area in the border counties, similar to what other Governors declare after earthquakes, hurricanes, or even in our case tire fires and the avian flu.

    This move gives him the additional powers that government has during/after a disaster as well as potential federal funds. Watching how this plays out could change the way state governments react to the illegal immigration crisis.

  3. CG2 Avatar
    CG2

    The Governors of Arizona and New Mexico did not declare states of emergency because some immigrants were assembling at a local 7-11 looking for day work.

    They were responding to crime, property damage and other violence in counties bordering Mexico, and they did it so they could use federal disaster relief funds to address the problems.

    Said Richardson, Governor of New Mexico, in declaring a state of emergency in 4 counties along the Mexico border: “Recent developments have convinced me this action is necessary — including violence directed at law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling, and an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants.”

    Richardson called on Mexico to “bulldoze the abandoned town of Las Chepas, which is directly over the border from Columbus.”

    The statement went on to say that “Las Chepas is a notorious staging and resting area for those who smuggle drugs and immigrants into the United States.”

    Some of the pledged funds will be used to create a field office for the New Mexico Office of Homeland Security to focus specifically on the border.

    There will also be new efforts to protect livestock in the area near Columbus, “along a favorite path for illegal immigration where a number of livestock have been stolen and killed,” the statement said.

    Richardson said he wanted residents of the four counties “to know my administration is doing everything it can to protect them.”

    Napolitano, Governor of Arizona said that she was acting to draw down $1.5 million in federal funds because the federal government has failed to stem growing smuggling-related violence to the east of Arizona, an increasingly popular illegal immigration corridor.

    The money in Arizona is designated for the state’s four border counties – Yuma, Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise – and will be distributed by the Arizona Division of Emergency Management. The $1.5 million is part of $4 million set aside annually for disasters, such as fires or floods.

    Arizona border counties will be eligible to apply for state money for a wide range of costs, from repairing border fences to paying for overtime for local law enforcement agencies dealing with smuggling-related crime.

    The issues raised by day labor centers do not rise to this level, certainly. In fact, the primary purpose of the center is to provide some relief to the public from nuisance issues associated with the unorganized efforts of workers to find work and contractors and home owners looking for workers.

    In this respect, in approving the land use permit for Project Hope and Harmony, the Town Council was acting, like the NM and AZ Governors to protect their taxpayers from the adverse effects of the failed federal immigration policy.

  4. CG2 Avatar
    CG2

    Here are some reasons put forth by the Virginia Coalition for Sensible Community Policing (VA-SCOPE) to explain why the State Police should not lead Virginia to become the third state (after Alabama and Florida) to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the feds (Dept of Homeland Security):

    The MOU is unnecessary. The changes in Virginia law (SB493/HB570) that went into effect on July 1, 2004 ensure that all state and local law enforcement officers have the power they need to arrest criminals who are not lawfully present in the United States. Moreover, important new federal initiatives and funding (including the $2.5 million demonstration grant Kilgore (as AG) secured for a pilot involving police beats 215 and 217 in South Richmond) will result in demonstrable improvement in the ability and authority of local and state police to combat gang activity, drug trafficking, and terrorism. These federal initiatives are complemented by the Governor’s four-pronged effort to reduce gang violence and related criminal activity throughout Virginia announced on May 24, 2004. The effect of these programs should be evaluated before Virginia takes the additional and drastic step of signing an MOU that would commit limited state resources to the performance of a clearly federal function.

    The MOU would jeopardize public safety. The MOU would hinder, not help, the state’s efforts to fight crime. Police need the trust and confidence of the communities they serve. The MOU would chill this trust within the immigrant communities, adversely affecting all Virginians by limiting the willingness of immigrants to cooperate with law enforcement in identifying those committing criminal acts. Many immigrant families have members with different immigration statuses. If an MOU is signed, many immigrants will avoid police contact for fear that their contact might lead to the deportation of a loved one. Not only will immigrants be afraid to report crimes as victims, they will be afraid to come forward as witnesses and cooperate with police, making them easy targets for crime. The MOU will NOT make Virginia a safer place to live.

    According to a statement issued by Governor Warner in 2004:

    Virginia’s most recent statistics (from 2000) indicate that minority citizens are disproportionately the victims of crime. For example, black males were nearly eight times more likely than white males to be the victims of homicide. They were three and a half times more likely to be robbed than white victims, and about 30% more likely to be the victim of a burglary. Similarly, black females were twice as likely to be homicide victims as whites, and nearly twice as likely to be raped.

    According to the United States Department of Justice, Hispanics are victims of violence at higher rates than non-Hispanics and significantly more likely to be robbed than non-Hispanics. In addition, Hispanics are twice as likely as non-Hispanics to be the victims of car theft.

    “Numbers like these mean more needs to be done to support safe and healthy minority communities across Virginia,” said Governor Warner. “Central to this effort is the reduction of crime and the protection of potential crime victims in affected communities.”

    The MOU would be a poor use of Virginia’s law enforcement resources. The federal immigration system is broken, and Virginia should not divert its limited law enforcement resources in an effort to fix it. A civil violation of immigration laws should not be treated like a crime. Using state law enforcement resources to enforce federal civil immigration law will detract from Virginia’s ability to fight crime. The complex body of immigration law, inadequate training, and a desperately out-of-date immigration database will lead to civil rights abuses, racial profiling, and costly suits against the state. Virginia should spend its resources on problems within Virginia’s control for the benefit of all its residents.

  5. Chad Avatar
    Chad

    The Virginia State Police are under the direction of the Secretary of Transportation, who answers directly to the Governor.

  6. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    The Virginia State Police report to the Secretary of Public Safety, not the Secretary of Transportation. The two cabinet offices used to be combined, but were split years ago (and Kilgore was Secretary of Public Safety.)

  7. Ray Hyde Avatar
    Ray Hyde

    Apparently we have the resources to crack down on HOV violators, but then, they have the money and education to know better…..

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