Absent congressional action on immigration, local governments are risking lawsuits and protests to act against illegals. For border states like Arizona, where one in 25 of the nation’s illegal immigrants resides, the stakes and burdens are high | Lynn Vincent
“ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL”: Maricopa County Sheriff’s officers begin the initial on-scene processing of a suspected illegal immigrant in Wickenburg, Ariz.
"This is America!" yelled activists from Help Save Manassas, a Virginia group opposing illegal immigration.
"Si, se puede!" responded another group of mostly Hispanic residents from across the street: "Yes, we can!"
The two sides faced off outside the county government complex in Manassas, Va., on Oct. 16, as officials inside prepared to vote on a plan to crack down on illegal immigrants in Prince William County. More than 1,200 people crowded in to listen as a string of speakers alternately lauded and condemned proposals that would cut certain county services to illegal residents, prohibit them from obtaining business licenses, and beef up local police authority to ask people about their immigration status.
States vs. illegals
Among the other states and municipalities taking action in the vacuum created by federal fecklessness on immigration reform:
Virginia: Fairfax's county executive on Oct. 17 vowed to begin studying which services might be restricted from illegal immigrants. Officials in Richmond County, meanwhile, rejected a proposal to build a 1,000-bed detention center for illegal immigrants. Instead, a state immigration task force approved a proposal to increase funding for construction or expansion of local jails.
Oklahoma: On Oct. 15, attorneys for the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders filed suit to block the Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act. Enacted in May, the law denies illegal immigrants state identification and requires all state and local agencies to verify that applicants for public benefits are American citizens. The measure also requires public employers to run job applicants' data through a federal immigration database. Hispanic evangelical churches in the state say they have lost an average of 12 percent of their membership since the law passed in May.
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COVER STORY |
Issue: 
No pious baloney
