by Jessica Sabbath
Special Projects Editor
Stafford County is joining the growing list of Virginia localities that are analyzing how illegal immigrants affect county services.
Stafford held its first public hearing on illegal immigration on Thursday night, but The Free-Lance Star reported that only about a dozen people attended.
Stafford created an Illegal Immigration Taskforce in October, which is charged with determining the social and financial effects of illegal immigrants on county services. After its initial study, the task force will speak with churches, the local immigrant community and nonprofit organizations to get their perspective.
Finally, the task force will create recommendations on how the county should deal with the effects of illegal immigration for the Board of Supervisors by April 1.
The county will hold another hearing on Jan. 30.
Illegal immigration has become a hot-button issue for localities across Virginia. Many have created groups to study its impact on the localities. The state legislature will also consider a host of illegal immigration proposals.
VA seems to be taking a very systematic approach. They should contact the Harvard economist who prepared the report for Arizona that founmd that illegals cost the Steate’s legal reisdents 1.4 billion in lost wages.
--Bettybb of San Jose, CA
Jan. 11, 2008 at 03:01 PM
I hope all the politicians running for President will show the courage required to find the middle ground on immigration reform in the U.S. (I doubt it, but one can always hope.)
Please tell us what you stand for on one of the most complex issues facing America today. We are a nation of immigrants and if we intend on growing this country, the alternative is shrinking it, we need a comprehensive reform plan that takes into account border security as well as the benefits we have received from this growth of population and economy.
Angelo Mancuso
Director
“American Harvest” documentary - The Real Truth About Immigrant America
http://www.americanharvestmovie.com
Angelo Mancuso of Rochester, NY
Jan. 12, 2008 at 09:20 AM