Immigration coalition heads to Richmond

Culpeper town and county officials will join a handful of other local governments in January to bring concerns about illegal immigrants to the General Assembly’s attention.

The local governments are a part of the Virginia Local Government Coalition on Illegal Aliens, a group the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors formed late last year to find solutions to problems caused by illegal immigration.

Over the last few years, illegal immigration issues in Culpeper have swelled as the economy has declined, prompting passionate discussion on what to do about things like loitering along highways, excessive residential occupancy and suspected gang activity and crime.

Last month, federal officials joined local officers in an illegal alien sting, arresting five people in an early morning countywide sweep.

Thursday, about a dozen people — mostly government officials — attended the group’s afternoon meeting at the Daniel Technology Center at Germanna Community College to discuss what specific issues the coalition should bring to the attention of state legislators at the beginning of their session.

Establishing legislation to hold employers accountable for knowingly hiring illegal aliens is one of the top items on the list.

“If you take away their employment, they’re not going to stay here,” said Corey Stewart, Chairman-At-Large of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.

Other suggestions presented by coalition chairman and Herndon mayor Stephen DeBenedittis included setting more severe penalties for driving without a license and requiring businesses that receive state funding to verify that all employees are legal residents. Culpeper County Supervisor Larry Aylor also suggested that landlords should be held responsible for knowingly allowing excessive occupancy at their properties.

The coalition also discussed the difficulty of enforcing laws on loitering along highways and strategies for achieving tangible results in dealing with illegal aliens who break the law.

Under state laws regarding loitering on highways, Police Chief Scott Barlow said there are questions as to what constitutes a safety hazard and how one would be declared, leaving attempts at enforcing loitering laws easily challenged.

Earlier this summer, “no stopping or standing” signs were placed on Bus. 29 near where day laborers frequently gather.

But acknowledging that anti-loitering laws are difficult to enforce in public areas, police and town officials say that the signs are meant to deter drivers from picking the men up, instead of keeping the mostly Hispanic men from gathering in the first place.

Stewart, who said he was attending the meeting on his own initiative and not as an official representative of Prince William County, suggested that the group choose two issues to present in Richmond with hopes of getting those concerns maximum attention.

At the coalition’s next meeting, which is set for Dec. 11, DeBenedittis said he would have two issues prepared to present to legislators at a January 15, 2009 press conference in Richmond.

In addition to influencing legislation, the group’s objectives include expanding the coalition, educating state legislators about the local impact of illegal immigrants, sharing strategies for dealing with the problem and minimizing the negative impact of illegal immigration on communities.

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or ndelesline@starexponent.com.