Lawmakers approved few measures in a General Assembly session that delivered on only several of the measures against illegal immigrants proposed on the Northern Virginia campaign trail in the fall.
Lawmakers passed measures denyingbail to illegal immigrants charged with crimes and rejected proposals denying access to public universities and creating a 100-officer special force to crack down on illegal immigrants.
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Illegal immigration critics say lawmakers did not do enough to follow through with their campaign promises, while immigrant advocates say the session needlessly prompted fears of widespread crackdowns before realizing the state didn’t have enough money or power to approve the measures.
The session proved illegal immigration is a better campaign issue than a governing issue, as tight budgets and federal authority overshadowed the debates, said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at University of Mary Washington.
“I think fundamentally, immigration is a federal problem that really swamps the ability of any state or local government to handle it effectively,” Farnsworth said.
Legal and illegal immigrants were outraged by debates trying to restrict their access to housing, public services and jobs, said Andres Tobar, president of the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations.
“I hope they would look to more reasonable solutions to some of the problems that exist,” Tobar said. “There isn’t a lot of laws that are needed with respect to the immigrant community.”
But critics of illegal immigration called it a failure to get the job done.
“They get an F,” said Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart, a champion of stricter policies against illegal immigrants. “They have completely failed to address an issue that a lot of Virginians are concerned about.”
Approved legislation
» Albo: Required jail officials to check foreign-born inmates’ legal status.
» Byron: State Corporation Commission can revoke business status for hiring illegal immigrants.
» Frederick: Government contractors must statethey will not hire illegal immigrants.
» Morgan: Commission on Unemployment Compensation studies denying eligibility to seasonal employees.
