McDonnell says legal immigration fuels economy

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell yesterday addressed Arizona's tough new law on immigration, emphasizing enforcement that doesn't hurt citizens' civil liberties.

On Friday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, signed a bill that requires police to question people about their immigration status -- including asking for identification -- if they suspect someone is in the country illegally.

McDonnell, a former state attorney general, said he had not looked at the Arizona law in detail but noted that because Arizona is a border state, it has unique problems with immigration.

"I have long been a strong supporter of enforcing the rule of law and making sure that, to the degree we can enforce Virginia state laws, that we do it, but we certainly don't want to have laws that undermine the civil liberties of lawful citizens," he said.

"I think most of these things are a balance. Arizona's got its own challenges that they're dealing with. Right now, I'm worrying about creating jobs."

He suggested exploring ways to address legal immigration that can increase economic growth.

"We need to be able to expand lawful immigration here in America for those areas, in particular, where we can contribute to the economy, but we also need to be able to enforce the rule of law for those that are here illegally," said McDonnell, the grandson of an Irish immigrant.

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The Arizona law disturbed Hispanic activists in Virginia as well as in other states.

The Alexandria-based Hispanic Leadership Fund said in a statement that "Arizonans, like a majority of Americans, are rightly frustrated by our unworkable immigration system. However, turning Arizona into a police state, violating the Constitution, and allowing authorities to stop people based on some irrationally vague notion that someone might be here illegally is clearly not the answer.

"Having to 'carry your papers' is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes not of the constitutional republic that our Founding Fathers wisely passed on to us. Arizonans and all Americans deserve an immigration system that works, not a draconian big-government desecration of the Bill of Rights."

In July 2007, Prince William County became the epicenter of the illegal-immigration debate in Virginia when its Board of County Supervisors passed a resolution that directed police to question the citizenship or immigration status of anyone who was detained lawfully.

Supervisors also directed county police to acquire federal immigration-enforcement authority by signing a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

County police created a Criminal Alien Unit and received training that gives them the authority to enforce federal immigration laws. Police say the unit focuses on illegal immigrants "who commit serious offenses, including human trafficking, fake ID production operations, and gang involvement."

In 2008, Prince William supervisors directed police to change the stage at which they are required to ask about citizenship status. From then on, anyone who is arrested in the county would be asked about his or her immigration status and then checked through a federal database.

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Immigration was not a high-profile issue in Virginia's 2010 General Assembly session as lawmakers grappled with the $4 billion budget deficit.

The Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations tracked 25 bills that came before lawmakers this year, 20 of which were defeated in committee.

Among the defeated measures were House Bill 681, introduced by Del. Jackson H. Miller, R-Manassas, and Senate Bill 643, issued by Sen. W. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Henry.

Both measures would have given a law-enforcement officer discretion either to arrest or issue a summons to a person in his custody for having committed a Class 1 or Class 2 misdemeanor.

Currently, the officer must issue a summons unless the person refuses to cease his criminal activity, is a danger to himself or others, or indicates he will disregard a summons.

In a statement posted on Richmond Sunlight, a bill-tracking website, The Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations said that the two bills would "threaten the civil rights of all Virginians by giving individual police officers unfettered discretion to decide whether to take a person alleged to be committing a misdemeanor into custody or simply to issue a summons."