Jeanfromfillmore
06-17-2010, 02:02 PM
Prince William chairman says Virginia should follow Arizona on immigration
Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart is calling on Virginia legislators to follow in Arizona's footsteps and pass a law to crack down on illegal immigration throughout the Commonwealth.
Dubbing it the "Virginia Rule of Law Campaign," Stewart said he will spend the rest of the year lobbying the General Assembly to pass legislation that enhances police officials' power to capture, detain and deport illegal aliens; outlaws illegal day laboring; and creates specific Virginia penalties for illegal immigrants.
"We need to bring the rule of law to all of Virginia," Stewart said. "As long as the federal government shows no interest in securing the border and no interest in internal enforcement to promote self-deportation, then states and localities will have to pick up the slack."
Stewart said he is still working on a final draft of his legislation plan, but he wants it to direct Virginia law enforcement officials to ascertain, in any lawful contact, the legal status of an individual. Another key point for the bill, he said, would be to prohibit jurisdictions from calling themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.
"I'm doing this now as this will be the last General Assembly session before the 2011 elections," Stewart said, noting he is still trying to find legislators to introduce his bill. "My intention is to use the election to pressure the General Assembly into action."
Prince William has received national attention for its crackdown on illegal immigration. The county's law, which was passed in 2007 and modified in 2008, requires that police officers inquire into the immigration status of all people who are arrested on suspicion of violating a state or local law.
"This would go further than what Prince William did in 2007 and follow in the footsteps of what Arizona did," Stewart said. "There is now a state model to follow. The iron is hot. The vast majority of the population support the law, and I'm confident a large majority of Virginians would support similar legislation."
The widely criticized Arizona law, signed in April, allows police wide latitude to check the residency status of anyone who they have "reasonable suspicion" is an illegal immigrant.
Stewart said the county's law was a success -- that illegal immigrants fled and that overall crime dropped to a 15-year low in 2009. The county's 2009 crime report said that of the roughly 2,000 people arrested last year in connection with major crimes, 121 were determined to be illegal immigrants. Of the 12,254 people arrested for other offenses, including drunken driving, prostitution and fraud, 774 lacked legal status. A more comprehensive illegal immigration report on the county's efforts is due out this year.
Stewart has created a Facebook page called The Virginia Rule of Law Campaign, which now has more than 60 supporters. He has also started an online petition for supporters to sign.
"I'm doing this as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a father and a husband," he said. "I look forward to working with a lot of leaders from around Virginia ... to get this done."
-Jennifer Buske
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/06/prince_william_chairman_says_v.html
Pol Wants 'Zona-Style Illegal Immigration Law for Virginia
The chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is proposing an Arizona-style illegal immigration law for the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.
The tough law on illegal immigration the county adopted a couple of years ago isn't sufficient, according to a statement released by Corey Stewart for Chairman.
"We saw a 37 percent drop in violent crime in the first two years of enforcement and overall crime is at a 15-year low," he said. "But we have anecdotally known, since day one, that the criminal aliens that fled were just going to neighboring jurisdictions."
So Stewart has started a petition online and a Facebook page for The Virginia Rule of Law Campaign. He has promised a draft of the law soon.
Florizona - cash back for illegal immigrants
Arizona's new illegal immigration law is not just a hot political topic - it is a profitable one as well.
During this election many Florida candidates have been quick to adopt Arizona's policy as their own. And the reception from voters - both Democrats and Republicans - is largely positive.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 59 percent of Florida voters support the law and only 29 opposed it. Thirty-one percent of Florida Democrats support the law as did 86 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents.
So what does it all mean - cash.
Candidates in Florida and around the country are using the issue to help raise money for their campaigns and contributors are responding. And it is likely that immigration is going to get even hotter in the weeks to come as candidates battle to prove who is tougher.
That's not surprising. A new Washington Post-ABC News Poll reports that 58 percent of American support the Arizona law.
From the report:
Most Americans support the new, controversial Arizona law that gives police there the power to check the residency status of suspected illegal immigrants. But most also still back a program giving those here illegally the right to earn legal documentation.
Immigration has been rising in prominence as an issue and has the potential to roil party unity on both sides as Democrats and Republicans. . .Liberal Democrats are broadly against the Arizona law; moderate and conservative Democrats are more evenly split on the issue.
Most staunch Republicans oppose a "path to citizenship," while a majority of other Republicans favor such a plan.
At the same time that a majority of Americans back the Arizona law, most say they support a program allowing illegal immigrants already in the United States the right to live here legally if they pay a fine and meet certain requirements. In the new poll, 57 percent support the option.
http://www.crowleypoliticalreport.com/2010/06/florizona-cash-back-for-illegal-immigrants-.html
Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart is calling on Virginia legislators to follow in Arizona's footsteps and pass a law to crack down on illegal immigration throughout the Commonwealth.
Dubbing it the "Virginia Rule of Law Campaign," Stewart said he will spend the rest of the year lobbying the General Assembly to pass legislation that enhances police officials' power to capture, detain and deport illegal aliens; outlaws illegal day laboring; and creates specific Virginia penalties for illegal immigrants.
"We need to bring the rule of law to all of Virginia," Stewart said. "As long as the federal government shows no interest in securing the border and no interest in internal enforcement to promote self-deportation, then states and localities will have to pick up the slack."
Stewart said he is still working on a final draft of his legislation plan, but he wants it to direct Virginia law enforcement officials to ascertain, in any lawful contact, the legal status of an individual. Another key point for the bill, he said, would be to prohibit jurisdictions from calling themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.
"I'm doing this now as this will be the last General Assembly session before the 2011 elections," Stewart said, noting he is still trying to find legislators to introduce his bill. "My intention is to use the election to pressure the General Assembly into action."
Prince William has received national attention for its crackdown on illegal immigration. The county's law, which was passed in 2007 and modified in 2008, requires that police officers inquire into the immigration status of all people who are arrested on suspicion of violating a state or local law.
"This would go further than what Prince William did in 2007 and follow in the footsteps of what Arizona did," Stewart said. "There is now a state model to follow. The iron is hot. The vast majority of the population support the law, and I'm confident a large majority of Virginians would support similar legislation."
The widely criticized Arizona law, signed in April, allows police wide latitude to check the residency status of anyone who they have "reasonable suspicion" is an illegal immigrant.
Stewart said the county's law was a success -- that illegal immigrants fled and that overall crime dropped to a 15-year low in 2009. The county's 2009 crime report said that of the roughly 2,000 people arrested last year in connection with major crimes, 121 were determined to be illegal immigrants. Of the 12,254 people arrested for other offenses, including drunken driving, prostitution and fraud, 774 lacked legal status. A more comprehensive illegal immigration report on the county's efforts is due out this year.
Stewart has created a Facebook page called The Virginia Rule of Law Campaign, which now has more than 60 supporters. He has also started an online petition for supporters to sign.
"I'm doing this as a citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a father and a husband," he said. "I look forward to working with a lot of leaders from around Virginia ... to get this done."
-Jennifer Buske
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2010/06/prince_william_chairman_says_v.html
Pol Wants 'Zona-Style Illegal Immigration Law for Virginia
The chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is proposing an Arizona-style illegal immigration law for the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.
The tough law on illegal immigration the county adopted a couple of years ago isn't sufficient, according to a statement released by Corey Stewart for Chairman.
"We saw a 37 percent drop in violent crime in the first two years of enforcement and overall crime is at a 15-year low," he said. "But we have anecdotally known, since day one, that the criminal aliens that fled were just going to neighboring jurisdictions."
So Stewart has started a petition online and a Facebook page for The Virginia Rule of Law Campaign. He has promised a draft of the law soon.
Florizona - cash back for illegal immigrants
Arizona's new illegal immigration law is not just a hot political topic - it is a profitable one as well.
During this election many Florida candidates have been quick to adopt Arizona's policy as their own. And the reception from voters - both Democrats and Republicans - is largely positive.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that 59 percent of Florida voters support the law and only 29 opposed it. Thirty-one percent of Florida Democrats support the law as did 86 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of independents.
So what does it all mean - cash.
Candidates in Florida and around the country are using the issue to help raise money for their campaigns and contributors are responding. And it is likely that immigration is going to get even hotter in the weeks to come as candidates battle to prove who is tougher.
That's not surprising. A new Washington Post-ABC News Poll reports that 58 percent of American support the Arizona law.
From the report:
Most Americans support the new, controversial Arizona law that gives police there the power to check the residency status of suspected illegal immigrants. But most also still back a program giving those here illegally the right to earn legal documentation.
Immigration has been rising in prominence as an issue and has the potential to roil party unity on both sides as Democrats and Republicans. . .Liberal Democrats are broadly against the Arizona law; moderate and conservative Democrats are more evenly split on the issue.
Most staunch Republicans oppose a "path to citizenship," while a majority of other Republicans favor such a plan.
At the same time that a majority of Americans back the Arizona law, most say they support a program allowing illegal immigrants already in the United States the right to live here legally if they pay a fine and meet certain requirements. In the new poll, 57 percent support the option.
http://www.crowleypoliticalreport.com/2010/06/florizona-cash-back-for-illegal-immigrants-.html