Posted on 03/13/2008 11:16:48 AM PDT by JZelle
Months after Prince William County began one of the country's toughest crackdowns on illegal immigrants, officials and residents report signs that substantial numbers of people have left the county, particularly from Hispanic neighborhoods.
Dave Whitlow, town manager of Dumfries, said officials started noticing the change a few months ago when they canvassed communities popular among Hispanic families and found roughly 165 residences vacant among 1,600 houses and town houses. Shopkeepers and teachers of English as a second language also have noticed a drop-off.
"We are having many more leaving," said Mr. Whitlow, who could not estimate what percentage of those leaving were in the United States illegally. "It's been just in the past few months."
In July, the Board of County Supervisors unanimously agreed to have the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) train six police officers and one resident for a Criminal Alien Unit.
The detail began enforcement March 1 and is assisting officers who find probable cause that a suspect in a crime is in the country illegally. Before then, officers were not authorized to make arrests for illegal immigration.
Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart said this week he was not surprised about signs that illegal immigrants were leaving.
"There's no question the police have had the effect," said Mr. Stewart, a Republican who is planning to run for lieutenant governor.
"The message that we are sending is: 'If you are an illegal alien, you are not welcome in Prince William County.' Time surely will show illegal aliens are leaving the county," said Mr. Stewart.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
There should be NO Hispanic neighborhoods in Virginia. This is America.
They are probably coming to where I live.....
More likely Fairfax County, VA. That’s a pretty blue county. So is Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia.
The mayor of Alexandria said in recent months that “we respect international citizens.”
Oh? What in blazes is an “international citizen”?
This country is not a public park. Good for the government of Prince William County!
Of course we can’t do this in Texas because they are only here to do the jobs Americans won’t do. Better that we all learn Spanish and provide free medical care and educations.
Self-deportation...it works. Now for application of PW County’s laws nationwide.
Please don’t say that.
Oh, come on,LetsRok. There were, and are, Irish neighborhoods, German neighborhoods, Italian neighborhoods, Jewish neighborhoods, and so on and so forth. New arrivals to our country tended to settle in places where they found familiar accents, familiar faces, even family members. Generations later, some of these neighborhoods are still ethnically dominated by one nationality or another. So what?
It is the illegal invaders we need to worry about, not the lawfully entered, law abiding, want-to-be-Americans. To be sure, if they chose to live only in communities of their own kind, it will take them that much longer to become American in fact as well as at law; that is why my German Grandfather did not chose to live in a Little Germany when he imigrated in the 1890’s. But to do so is hardly un-American.
VietVet
Yeah, but who asked him? ;)
Looks like they’re on their way to Frederick and Howard Counties. They’re already in Montgomery and PG.
Probably pouring into Maryland.....
I hope they pour into Massachusetts!
Don’t let the door hit ya...
Visit Ocean City. You’ll think you’re in tijuana
Don't even have to go that far, just go visit Fells Point.
Anybody want to bet, with all these vacant houses out there, that tax revenues have declined? Actions have consequences.
Wow, so Hispanics can't be Americans? That's an interesting argument. You mind showing me where in the Constitution it says that? That's probably the most un-American thing I've ever heard.
A 7.5 Earthquake Hits Mexico
150,000 Mexicans die and over a million injured.
The country is in total ruin and the government doesn’t know where to start with providing help to rebuild.
The rest of the world rises to their aid.
Canada sends troopers to help the Mexican army control the riots.
The European community sends food and money.
The United States, not to be outdone, sent 150,000 replacement Mexicans.
God Bless America!
Amazing what happens when you enforce the law.
No thanks!
And are 165 vacant houses out of 1600 a good thing?
If you want to turn around the mortgage crisis, do you want more empty houses?
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