A large Washington suburb eyeing a $200,000 program to give taxpayer-funded legal aid to illegal immigrants said that deportations hurt it.
The chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in Virginia said the move was prompted by “the dynamic state of federal immigration policy.”
Democrat Sharon Bulova said that the goal of a legal aid pilot program is to keep illegal immigrants from deportation.
In an email released by the Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition, she wrote: “The men and women who will benefit from the services offered by the pilot program are contributing members of our community. The funding is meant to ensure that people have a chance to defend themselves, to make their case, for being in this county legally through the established legal processes.”
She added, “Deportations can harm our community and separate families with devastating consequences.”
The county has set aside $200,000 to study offering legal aid to illegals. Bulova said: “Legal representation for people in civil proceedings is not a right, but in this instance, I believe that the pilot program deserves a chance to be evaluated.”
