Court upholds immigration laws in VA

Earlier this year, Prince William County, VA passed legislation that would require anyone to prove they’re legal residents of the county before they participated in any county programs. Seems reasonable doesn’t it? Well, not according to the illegal residents of Prince William County (surprise), so they took the County to court. 
They were handed their collective ass yesterday in court, according to Seth McLaughlin of the Washington Times;

A federal judge yesterday threw out a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Prince William County’s [Va.] new ordinance denying services to illegal aliens. 
Judge James C. Cacheris said during a brief hearing at U.S. District Court in Alexandria that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the resolution passed earlier this year by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.

Judge Cacheris said he will issue a written ruling at a later time detailing his decision. 
The Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund filed the lawsuit last month on behalf of plaintiffs who included illegal aliens and the Woodbridge Workers Committee, an organization of day laborers in Prince William County.

But county attorneys argued that the plaintiffs could not demonstrate they had suffered any harm under the measures, which have not been fully implemented. 
“This is a big win,” said Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. “This is the best shot that some of the best litigators in the country can throw at our resolution against illegal immigration. I think that is very telling.”

So what’s the result going to be? Well, I wrote back in October that Ike Leggett, Montgomery County (Maryland) Supervisor (across the Potomac River from PW County) has already accepted the inevitable – instead of passing similar laws that would prevent illegal immigrants from invading Maryland and draining us of our resources (the resources that we pay for with our tax dollars) Leggett just criticized Prince William County instead;

“When one jurisdiction tries to force people to move around, they don’t leave,” Leggett said. “They either shift the burden from one community to another, or they go underground. That’s why this is not a solution.”

The result will be expanded services for illegals in Montgomery County, Maryland at the expense of legal residents because Maryland legislators are more interested in appearing humane to the world than protecting their own citizens.

(Crossposted at Red Maryland)

Category: Illegal Immigrants, Politics