Current Release: September 11th, 2007 | Vol. XXIV Iss. 10

Photo by Colleen Peterson

Rep. Thema Drank discusses illegal immigration

By Jennifer Valentine

U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake (R-Va.), hosted a panel discussion Sept. 12 at Virginia Wesleyan College. "The Impact of Illegal Immigration on Our Communities" included five panelists who shared their opinions on illegal immigration and the impact it has both locally and nationally.

“The situation we're dealing with is not a new situation," said Joseph Zager, president and CEO of Shore Health Services, Inc. "It's just evolved."

Discussing such issues as illegal immigration and its effect on employment, health care and the law, the common thread came down to documentation, or the lack thereof.

Maria Chandler, president and CEO of James River Ground Management, Inc., a landscaping company, experiences a large Hispanic workforce in her business. According to her, when she began her company, there concern about the legitimacy of the status of these employees.

Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell voiced concern for the rights and protection of both U.S. citizens and unlawful immigrants.

"Even worse than illegal immigration is criminal immigration," said McDonnell.

In northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, unlawful immigrants account for much of the gang-related crime activity, McDonnell told the audience. Unlike documented citizens who commit crimes and have records checked for prior history, undocumented citizens commit crimes and there are no records to be checked, he stressed.

According to him, to have documentation is to have the protection of the law.

Drake took a moment to question him on this issue:

"I think that most Americans agree that borders should be open for trade and closed to criminals. What about illegal victims of crimes?"

According to McDonnell, people who are victims of crimes and are unlawful immigrants would rather be a victim than come forward and report it.

"We need help in the Commonwealth of Virginia," he said.

The immigration and customs enforcement agency are under funded and understaffed, according to McDonnell.

Chandler's answer to the documentation issue: temporary visas that would allow employers to hire foreign workers for seasonal jobs. These workers could come over to the U.S. with a legal visa to work, then return home once the time is expired.

However, legal documentation does not suffice for John Keeley, communications director for the Center for Immigration Studies.

"Poor people immigrate," he said.

This is not good public policy for the U.S., keeley maintained. If it were beneficial, it would not be as big an issue as it is in 2006. More letters have been written to the government about this than on Iraq or gas, according to Keeley.

Robert E. Rector, senior research fellow of domestic policy studies for the Heritage Foundation, agreed with Keeley's assertion that such immigration is not good policy for the U.S.

"They present enormous social problems and inconceivable burden on tax payers," he said.

According to Rector, low-skilled immigrants add little to the government yet take much from it. Discussing the U.S. policy of welfare, Rector believes the system is too generous.

"It's not the fault of the people," he said, "but we have a very generous system. But if we try to do that to low-skilled immigrants from a Third World country, it's something we can't afford to do."

The audience for the event, which was open to the public, consisted of about 30 people. Some VWC students and faculty were present. Some were of Hispanic descent. Towards the end of the discussion, there was an unscripted question-and-answer segment prompted when some audience members raised their hands to question the panelists. Most expressed their disappointment in the representation on the panel, believing that their views were generalized and negative about immigrants.

Capt: Manny White, of VWC campus security , oversaw the event.

"I thought the people were very disrespectful," he said. "Thelma Drake and the panel presented themselves well. Overall, it was very informative. Plus it was nice to see VWC students there."

Drake supports a House immigration bill that would make illegal immigrants felons, among other things, and supports the construction of a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border.