House Republican leaders are taking up the hot-button issue of illegal immigration at the outset of a Virginia General Assembly session taking place against the backdrop of fall elections.
“House Republicans believe that playing by the rules and abiding by the law is important. Countless immigrants to this great nation have come here to embrace the American dream and we very much honor legal immigrants by ensuring that when people enter our country for legal purposes and they observe the rules, we welcome them. It’s that simple,” said Del. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, the chair of a House GOP task force on illegal immigration, which today unveiled its legislative package
The 16-bill package includes a bill to require localities to enforce federal immigration laws. The bill, introduced by Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax, also directs that the governor could withhold state monies to localities violating the act.
Other provisions spell out the requirements of arresting officers to ascertain the citizenship of detainees, for businesses doing business with the Commonwealth to ensure that their employees have their proper work documentation and a bill introduced by Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, requiring parents to indicate citizenship status as they enroll their children for public schools.
“As a career prosecutor outside of the legislature, I see the effects of our broken immigration system nearly every day,” Gilbert said. “The federal government has abdicated its responsibility to secure our borders and keep our citizens safe from illegal alien criminals. As a result, many states across the country, including Virginia, are looking at responsible and legal ways to address this issue of concern to so many citizens.”
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at [email protected].
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