Reconsidering our course
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OUR OPINION
Published: April 27, 2008
The time to reconsider the county’s anti-illegal immigrant policy draws near.
As the practical application of the policy becomes reality, many people are beginning to raise questions.
And one of those doing the questioning is Woodbridge supervisor Frank Principi. He is planning on proposing that the county repeal the part of its policy that directs police to check the citizenship or immigration status of criminal suspects they believe are in the U.S. unlawfully.
We think repealing this portion of the policy makes sense.
First, having the police force be an arm of immigration enforcement weakens ties to the immigrant community and creates a fearful environment.
Second, this portion of the policy puts the county and its police officers at risk.
Police Chief Charlie T. Deane had wanted video cameras installed in patrol cars to protect officers from allegations of racial profiling.
But money for the cameras was cut Tuesday from the proposed county budget which means that the protection Deane requested is gone.
But the biggest reason why this portion of the policy should be rescinded is that it is unnecessary.
During the first month that the policy was in place, 41 illegal immigrants were arrested and Chief Deane said that all but two of them would have gone to jail regardless.
Jail officials already check the immigration status of people who come to jail. It is redundant to have police officers checking as well.
Our officers don’t have the time to seek out and catch people who are here unlawfully if they have not committed any other crime.
Those illegal immigrants they pick up for criminal offenses will be found out once in jail.
So, having our police officers check immigration status creates fear in the immigrant community, is dangerous to our police officers and is pointless. We hope Principi is successful in repealing this part
of the resolution.
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Posted by ( barnun ) on April 30, 2008 at 10:54 am
the article states: “First, having the police force be an arm of immigration enforcement weakens ties to the immigrant community and creates a fearful environment.“ The pro illegal group tries to say this is a federal issue, knowing the feds do little thereby allowing no control and chaos. So, if we ask to police to back off and put our military on the streets, send them into schoolss etc to enforce federal law, would this help to alleviate the fear that the illegals feel from the police ? And are we to believe that local law enforcement should no longer try to uphold federal law ? The pro illegal arguement are all anti law arguements any way you spin it.
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Posted by ( zcxnissan ) on April 28, 2008 at 9:51 pm
The police as part of the 1996 Immigration Act can ask for id’s from any criminal or with reasonable suspicion. If said aren’t furnished or phony ones are given then we all know what happens next. Enjoy your new compadres’ Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, D.C. and Maryland. You deserve what you support. Their will be more coming. Chris Cummings
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Posted by ( Mike ) on April 28, 2008 at 10:07 am
Principi is MIA since he dropped his bomb. Evidence that citizens overwhelmingly want the resolution to stay.
The resolution has already paid for itself with the drop in ESOL students alone. The count is at 700 now and still growing. Fairfax has picked up over half of them with the remainder going to Alexandria and Arlington. Fairfax’s school budget is in a state of limbo due to the influx and they attribute it directly with PWC’s resolution.
The resolution is working beautifully, but we MUST keep the pressure up. The pressure from those that profit off of illegal aliens is mounting.
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