Residents in Virginia are weighing into the illegal immigration debate after a state delegate proposed that authorities check the immigration status of people when they are arrested.

Continue reading

Currently, different counties handle immigration checks differently. In Fairfax County, authorities check residency if the individual is in jail. But in Prince William County, authorities check residency at the point of arrest.

Delegate L. Scott Lingamfelter (R-Prince William) wants to make this a law statewide.

Store owner Carlos Castena says Prince William County took an economic hit after it implemented the immigration policy. He thinks Virginia’s overall economy will suffer if it adopts a statewide law requiring authorities to check residency at the time of arrest.

“A lot of people moved from Prince William County to Maryland,” he said, adding that Maryland is friendlier to immigrants.

Some say people who are in America illegally are already breaking the law. Others believe each county should continue to have the discretion to handle the issue as it sees fit.

Arlington Board of Supervisors member Walter Tejada says Virginia already has some of the toughest immigration laws in the nation. He doesn’t want to burden law enforcement with more tasks.

“Why would we want to force our law enforcement to do other tasks in the streets and create an environment of fear and just basically anti-immigrant sentiment,” he said.