MEXICANOS SIN FRONTERAS

WOODBRIDGE WORKERS COMMITTEE

Position Paper Regarding PWC Anti-Immigrant Resolution

Woodbridge Workers Committee Position Paper Regarding PWC Anti- Immigrant Resolution   The Prince William County Board of Supervisors, consisting entirely of white residents in a county that is 40% people of color, has determined that illegal immigration is causing economic hardship and lawlessness and therefore unanimously approved anti-immigrant legislation allowing county employees to require proof of citizenship before providing county services. It also allows PWC police to investigate a person’s immigration status when detained by the police if there is “probable cause” to believe that immigration laws were violated.  

The effect of this resolution is to instill in the Latino community an atmosphere of terror, desperation, and a feeling of discrimination. It is patently designed to divide the community by promoting xenophobia and hatred. The Woodbridge Workers Committee views this action as discriminatory and racist, and demands that the Board of County Supervisors immediately rescind this resolution for the following reasons:   The PWC anti-immigrant resolution is unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that the “power to regulate immigration is unquestionably exclusively a federal power.”  

Implementation of this resolution would likewise be unconstitutional, as it would violate the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment by targeting one segment of the population.   This resolution is a direct violation of Prince William County’s own Human Rights Ordinance passed in 1992, which ensures the “protection and enforcement of human and civil rights for all people living and working in Prince William County…”.  

This resolution approved by the Board of County Supervisors harasses and intimidates the immigrant population and will inexorably lead to racial profiling and discrimination against a particular segment of the population.   The resolution was promoted in the name of all residents by a local extremist group, and was drafted by attorneys representing one of the major national anti-immigrant organizations.   This resolution will create an Apartheid-like system reminiscent of the pre-Civil War “Slave Patrols” checking for permits carried by slaves while traveling off the plantation.  

This measure would inevitably shut down communication and severely reduce cooperation between the immigrant community and law enforcement, resulting in unreported crimes and witnesses reluctant to come forward for fear of being reported to immigration.  

The County Board’s claim of increased lawlessness attributed to undocumented immigrants is contradicted by the county’s own statistical data. The Hispanic population in PWC has virtually doubled in the last five years while the crime rate in the county is the lowest it has been in five years. According to PWC police reports, 40% of the robberies that occurred in 2006 targeted immigrants as victims.

This resolution is a classic case of scapegoating the actual victims.   In contrast to the PWC Board’s stereotypes of undocumented immigrants, studies show that most undocumented immigrants are fearful of government authorities and therefore avoid involvement with public benefits programs.

The Social Security Administration estimates that undocumented immigrants pay social security taxes yet never claim the benefits. In 2005, undocumented immigrants paid $7 billion in social security taxes and $1.5 billion for Medicare, and additional billions in uncollected income tax refunds.  

In addition, undocumented immigrants pay rent or own their own homes so they pay property taxes either directly or indirectly. By shopping in the county they bolster the economy and pay sales taxes while doing so.   For over a hundred years, migrant workers from South of the border have been welcomed and recognized as a backbone of many parts of the economy. For decades now people have migrated to the United States because of the dire economic conditions in their nations.

In recent years, the NAFTA and CAFTA agreements have resulted in the loss of farmlands and millions of jobs to transnational corporations. When families are in need of basic human rights and cannot provide for their children they are forced to migrate. Most people would prefer to migrate legally but the 8 to 10 year and sometimes longer wait prohibits this as an option. For “unskilled” immigrants like agricultural, construction, and domestic workers there is effectively no legal mechanism to migrate.   The undocumented population in PWC is here to work and provide for their families just like any of us.

They pay taxes and abide by our laws. Singling them out as scapegoats for our societal problems is racist, unjust, and unconstitutional. The Woodbridge Workers Committee refuses to stand by and let this happen.  

We don’t will renounce our right to fight against this resolution on the legal way and with all civil pacific resistance