Dan Genz and William C. Flook, The Examiner
2007-09-27 07:00:00.0
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Loudoun County -

County supervisors plan to ask nonprofit groups next week whether they check the legal status of people seeking help as part of a push to limit the tax money going to illegal immigrants.

Groups that don’t check immigration status could be denied county funding, officials said.

“The whole topic is a discussion about ending subsidies to illegal aliens,” Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio said.

Although supervisors say they will not necessarily eliminate money for groups that support illegal immigrants, they want to know where each group stands before divvying up the $1.5 million it handed out last year.

But nonprofit leaders say the measure could launch an unfair new merit test statewide.

“I think the bottom line is for the very few dollars that might trickle down to somebody who might not be here legally, the risk factor to safety and health for all of our community is not worth taking,” said Susan Curtis, executive director for Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice, which runs the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter.

The shelter depends on the $50,000 it receives from the county.

Supervisor Jim Burton opposed the measure, saying it’s going beyond what constituents want on illegal immigration.

“I think where you are going here is cruel, and I can’t understand why we can’t have more compassion for people,” Burton told fellow board members.

But the county has the right to ask where its money is going, Supervisor Lori Waters said.

“Since these are our local tax dollars, we have the authority to put conditions on how we provide these funds and to whom we provide them,” she said.

Because aid organizations often target underserved people, adding restrictions to who gets help would discourage them, said Chuck Bean, Nonprofit Roundtable executive director.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea for nonprofits and the people they’re serving,” Bean said.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com