Posted on 04/11/2007 6:46:46 AM PDT by chambley1
I'd like to thank the Manassas Journal-Messenger for entering into the debate regarding the presence of illegal aliens in our community and their mention of our new organization Help Save Manassas. Our grass roots effort is dedicated to helping promote effective and responsible public policy on this issue which will reduce the number of illegal aliens in our community and the negative impacts that their presence imposes.
This year a number of important pieces of legislation were introduced in the General Assembly that failed to pass, including prohibition of in-state tuition for illegal aliens, prohibiting public funds from being used to provide assistance to illegal aliens, and participation by the State of Virginia in the Section 287(g) program which would deport criminal aliens who commit serious offenses after they are released from jail rather than releasing them back into the community. These responsible measures to help combat the effects related to the presence of illegal aliens in our communities stand an excellent chance of being enacted if the public becomes more involved in the legislative process, rather than allowing some special interests to dominate the discussion.
Locally, efforts to reduce the number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on our roads, ensure effective enforcement of existing zoning ordinances, and to add the requirement that contractors who perform work for localities hire only legal workers are among the similarly responsible and effective measures I expect we will promote. While the city of Manassas has made significant strides in participating in the Section 287(g) Program, other adjoining localities may benefit from additional encouragement to follow this example. Help Save Manassas will help provide a means for the citizens to be heard on such proposals, which can only improve the quality of representative government in our localities.
One particularly troublesome problem that deserves immediate attention is that of identity theft. Illegal aliens who use fake documents often will use Social Security Numbers that are assigned to American citizens, not only for employment purposes, but for obtaining credit. While stealing the identity of an adult can result in a nightmare, for children this can result in a more devastating and persistent inability to obtain financial aid for college. Reported earnings may disqualify a student from obtaining financial aid, and derogatory information may make it impossible for a student to obtain a loan for college. Far from being perpetrators of a victimless crime, some illegal aliens harm everyday citizens in ways that many legislators are unaware, demonstrating a significant and ongoing need for advocacy groups such as ours to work with our elected officials to help protect our community. We are working to craft responsible and effective legislative initiatives to reduce the incidence of identity theft, which we hope and expect local residents will eagerly embrace and join us in promoting.
Since Help Save Manassas has just been formed, and a track record hasn't been established, I understand how some might feel unsure about our objectives or how we might go about achieving them. Some have dismissed Help Save Manassas as a racist hate group without any basis for such allegations. This says more about the irresponsible manner in which such groups or individuals participate in this debate than anything else. More reasonable folks will have the opportunity to come to some of our meetings and see for themselves that our membership and officers, who are their neighbors and co-workers after all, know that an important issue such as this requires rational thought, carefully crafted solutions and responsible advocacy.
I am convinced we are building a quality organization that will prove very successful, especially given the overwhelming positive interest we have received. Manassas and the surrounding area have some of the best people you could ever ask for as neighbors, and since this organization will reflect the views and concerns of these fine people, I expect to see the discussion and debate on this issue rise to a level that will uniformly demonstrate respect for others, respect for our community and respect for the law. The good people of Manassas, Manassas Park and Prince William County have too strong a legacy of civil discourse to be anything but a credit to their community.
Greg Letiecq is president of Help Save Manassas.
I live in Fairfax, Co and everytime I go into Prince William Co I feel like I need a passport.
Why would Governor Kaine sign into law any bill that facilitates the removal of people who will be future Democratic voters if ‘comprehensive’ (i.e. amnesty) immigration reform passes Congress?
Why these bills can’t even be passed in the GOP-controlled Virginia legislature is the real mystery.
Large parts of Mannassas and the surrounding area have been turned into a Spanish-speaking, Third World outpost. My question to the federal and state govenments, and Senator Splash, would be, when did the people of Manassas get to vote on this takeover of their community by foreigners?
I work in D.C. and was considering Manassas...until I did a bit of resarch. Shame. Lovely area.
I sold my townhouse in Manassas last February.
EVERY realtor who showed the place, showed it IN SPANISH.
Our realtor printed up 50 brochures in English and 50 in Spanish. . . after we accepted the offer, we counted the remaining brochures. 50 English, 12 Spanish left.
And when we left. . .we were the last English-speaking family on the block. . .
It's a shame. I pretty much grew up in that area but would never return if the currend trend continues.
bttt
I lived in Virginia for five years, the last two in Manassas, got out in 2000. I went back once about two years ago and I don’t think there were any English speakers left. Interesingly(?) the house I lived in in Manassas wasn’t sold to Hispanics, but to Middle Easterners.
And now gangs such as MS 13 are establishing themselves not just in the DC area but also expanding through Virginia. A thread a while back here indicated that the Fairfax Police actually favored illegal aliens.
It’s interesting reading this thread.
I grew up in Manassas from 1967 - 1975 and lived in Haymarket thereafter until leaving for college.
My family still lives there and says the same as all of you. I was considering moving back into Northern VA but based upon the Maryland / DC mentality that has permeated VA politics as well as the information from all of you, I think I’ll look elsewhere.
Virginia has beautiful areas and a lot of history. If only they would start deporting illegal aliens and those immigrants who commit crimes and/or land on welfare, this would be a nice state again.
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