VIRGINIA BEACH
Companies that do business with Virginia Beach will have to pledge that they don’t hire illegal immigrants.
All city contracts will include a clause that requires vendors to certify they are following federal immigration laws. Beach officials will audit any company they think is breaking the law.
“I’m very pleased; I think this is the beginning,” said Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson, who suggested such a step in November .
The guidelines will take effect as soon as City Manager Jim Spore issues an order to city departments. He announced Tuesday he will do so in the next two weeks , and the City Council voiced its agreement Tuesday night.
Alicia Fernandez-Bobulinski, vice chairwoman of the city’s Human Rights Commission, said the new guidelines may put a slight dent in illegal immigration locally but won’t stop it.
Like most cities, Virginia Beach has relied on state and federal officials to enforce immigration laws. But city officials have recently been pressured to do more after two teenage girls died last spring when their car was struck by a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk. The case drew national media attention .
Virginia Beach police now ask those from other countries about their immigration status after they are arrested.
C ity officials, however, said Tuesday night that they have little flexibility to tighten immigration rules. For example, federal law prevents officials from asking children enrolling in public school whether they are in the country legally, said Mark Stiles, a deputy city attorney. “There are limited areas where the city has discretion,” he said.
And there are no guarantees that federal officials will respond when the city reports immigration problems , Councilman Jim Wood said.
According to a letter sent by Sheriff Paul Lanteigne to City Council members last week, the number of detention orders issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials has declined in Virginia Beach. Last April and May, soon after the two teens were killed, ICE detained nearly all the illegal immigrants the city contacted the agency about. In November, the sheriff’s office contacted ICE 45 times, and the agency issued 13 detention orders , according to the sheriff’s report.
The sheriff is releasing illegal immigrants “because ICE is not picking them up,” Wood said.
Still, the city can do more, including partner with federal officials to enforce immigration laws, said Brian Kirwin, a Virginia Beach lobbyist who is affiliated with Save The Old Dominion, a recently formed lobbying group seeking to reduce the number of illegal immigrants.
“I wish the city spent as much time providing information on things we could do as things we couldn’t,” Kirwin said.
There are about 50 bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly this year dealing with immigration.
Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com
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What??
Why does federal law prevent schools from asking if the students are in the country legally? That's insane!! What part of ILLEGAL is so misunderstood? It's a simple question and I am tired of paying enormous property taxes to educate the children of illegal immigrants. It's one thing to pay for lazy US citizens, but I can't support the world and the huge backlash is building momentum. We cannot support and feed the world and middle class America is about to explode into a new revolution because we are sick and tired of footing the tax bill to feed and clothe illegals and the lazy. Enough is enough!!
Actions speak louder then words! Can easily do more!
I applaud this as a step in the right direction however what will be done to those who are investigated and found to have violated their pledge? We have already seen how businesses will lie for more profit so what would stop them now? Is there a penalty that has teeth and if so what is it? Also, what is wrong with having a few of our great police officers trained under 287(g). Our local politicians can do so much more but choose to do the minimal. Also.. this is NOT about Mexicans but all illegals. Those who think it is just about Mexicans are ignorant because it is documented in 2005 by the government (CRS Report for Congress) that there were 119,182 illegal non-Mexicans that were arrested (drastically up from the prior year). These were only the ones that were caught and arrested and come from countries like Pakistan, Guatemala, El Salvador, Columbia and the list goes on. I do not think it is asking much to have everyone check in at the front door and enter our country using our rules…. Anything else is unacceptable. And for our politicians to continue to find ways directly or indirectly support the continued flow of illegals will quickly get a politician voted out of of
How right you are!
To caseyt99125, you are so right. Even 1 million coming across the border is an invasion, let alone 12-20 million. Can you imagine if we saw that many coming from Iraq, Iran, or Afghanistan? I'm sure there would be some backlash then. With Mexicans coming over, it is just allowed for some reason. We need to build a wall and man it like we're defending a fort - nothing else is working...
Made cheaper elsewhere -
"Etch-a-Sketch, Monopoly, you name it, all invented here and now made elsewhere so the rich can get richer thru cheap labor"
Now why would that be? Hmmmm. labor unions push up the costs by demanding so much for the union workers that companines are starting to go out of business. They have to charge so much more for their product that the average american citizen needs to make 5% or more year after year.
MAYBE, it's not to get richer, it's to remain competitive, because to make it here in the U.S. requires paying so much more just to make the darn thing, that it would be next to impossible to sell for a price that would even make a minimal profit, yet be in the price range that the average citizen would pay!!!
Remember for a LOT of companies, if they don't make profits for their shareholders, the shareholders start sueing ceo's cfo's, etc etc. What a stupid vicious circle!
Illegal is...
...illegal, period. Deport not support. Most jobs than can be exported have been. Did you know Levi's jeans are now only produced in Mexico? No place in the USA makes santa claus suits anymore. Etch-a-Sketch, Monopoly, you name it, all invented here and now made elsewhere so the rich can get richer thru cheap labor. Our biggest import? Mexico's poverty. We need to start taking care of our own. We were attacked by terrorists on Sept 11th 2001, yet our northern and southern borders are STILL wide open! 12 to 20 million illegal aliens is not a "small group working in the shadows", it's an invasion.
How About The Other
Contractors who are using illegals as workers. I passed a strip mall Thanksgiving Day on VABCH Blvd and there were 5 or 6 dark skinned men working on construction at that site. If VABCH wants to purge the illegals then they should check ALL contractors doing work in the city. I know of a person who works for SBC phone company who was sent by the company to work in their offices in Mexico City. After $6,000 in bribes, he was finally given the permit to work for his company in Mexico. Also, you have to be a Mexican citizen to work for the police or fire departments, and only citizens can own a home. All others have to rent and once again pay bribes for electricity and other services or you do without. So VABCH lets get them all not just those working for the city as those developers using illegals are blood suckers as we seen with the Verizon subcontractors using illegals and charging them $8400 per month for rent and other expenses after they were making a large profit on their sweat and blood.
Good job...
O'Reilly!
lol
lol.... they could not have built the new VB Convention Center with out all the illegals. Wonder why that illegal documentation business was right across the street from the VBCC South Parking Lot and so many illegals were living in the mobile homes and apartments surrounding.
No money for the developers
VB City Council hasn't pushed this because there's no developer money in it for them to give away... O'Reilly had it right!
Enforce Immigration Laws
Employers hiring the illegal aliens are violating federal law by hiring the illegals.If the federal government would start enforcing the laws
the employers would stop hiring them. The illegal aliens would leave if they could not find work. The only way to get the laws enforced is to let your congressman and senators know that you expect them to make sure that federal laws are enforced and provide the funding for it. You should also let them know that you are following their votes on illegal immigration and you will vote against them for failing to do this.
documentation?
http://www.mexperience.com/liveandwork/working_mexico.htm#IsLegal ---- Is it legal for a foreigner to work in Mexico?
Yes, provided that you have the right permit. You are not permitted to travel to Mexico, enter as a tourist and seek gainful employment there. You must have the correct migratory permits to do so before you go. ---------- These mechanisms are in place to ensure that you will not be: a) taking jobs that Mexican nationals could otherwise have and/or; b) ensure that if you don't have an immediate income, you have the means to support yourself without relying on the Mexican State in any way.....
Yet after Katrina, the Bush administration voided the need to check documentation so that Americans already on the job could be fired in favor of his beloved illegal aliens.
Immigrants
Way to go Virginia Beach. Don Weeks, who is running for Virginia Beach Mayor, has been saying that for quite a while. Nice to see someone else is listening. The problem though is that they'll just move to a neighboring City. This will only work is all the localities follow suit!! Of course, silly me, I would have thought that since 9/11 this was alerady something we were doing....
Duh???
Shouldn't we have been doing this before? Wake up Va Beach!
Why Not More
If the city can do this to their vendors why can't it be required of all businesses issued a license by the city to operate. If the city and state of VA would take this issue on and step up maybe we might be able to slow and possibly stop another tragedy from happening. AMERICA it is time to stop pandering to the LIBERALs wanting votes and do what is right, let's take our country back and if the illegal aliens want to be here go home and do it right this time and we will not have a problem with you. Until then we will have a problem when you want to start a new life being a criminial and breaking our laws from day one.
Does this mean....
former VB illegals will saturate all the other Hampton Roads jobs? If VB can do this so can Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, Yorktown, Williamsburg, etc...
Election Year Grandstanding
Rosemary the Notorius Opportunist is up for reelection in November, so what does she do? Push an Ordinance on illegal immigration, an issue she never muttered a word about until two months ago. While I'm 100% in favor of rational measures that would actually curb illegal immigration (not Save the Old Dominion's racism), residents should recognize this for the political ploy it is. Yes, Jim Spore will issue the order to departments: Rosemary Wilson has voted for every tax increase put in front of her during her tenure on City Council. Spore wants Wilson back, and neither is above playing to nativist racism to do it.