Va. businesses unite to fight illegals

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Virginia businesses are uniting to fight illegal immigration crackdowns targeting employers, saying the torrent of new proposals would only duplicate what the federal government already requires.

Virginia Employers for Sensible Immigration Policy is contending that most of the new proposals targeting employers who hire illegal immigrants will be thrown out in court because the federal government supersedes state laws.

"We're into sensible, responsible, workable, effective things," said Keith Cheatham, a vice president of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. "Unfortunately, a lot of what I'm hearing and seeing fails the tests."

The group sent a packet to each lawmaker emphasizing the hoops businesses already jump through to try to verify workers' legal status under the federal system.

But public concern that lax federal enforcement is allowing employers to skirt the laws has dozens of state lawmakers preparing or touting new legislation.

"The aggravating thing about this is the federal government has said they are the only ones who can enforce employers and they are not doing the job," said Del. David Albo, R-Springfield.

"There may be a way to write a bill that denies a business license if they knowingly hire somebody who is illegal," Albo said. "That is possibly constitutional."

Woodbridge-area immigrant activist John Steinbach said the problem with the proposals is they could make businesses afraid of hiring capable Hispanic workers, regardless of their immigration status.

"If the barriers to hiring employees get so high, pretty soon, you're not going to hire anybody with a Latino surname," Steinbach said, "I think that's happening already."

As long as the federal system is not working, state laws can push the issue, said Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock.

"The main point of state-based immigration laws is if enough states are acting, maybe we'll get the federal government moving," he said.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com

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