WASHINGTON — A legal fight is keeping immigration reforms President Obama ordered in November on hold.
But the Obama administration is appealing, and numerous jurisdictions, including D.C., Maryland and Virginia have filed legal documents in support of that appeal.
Virginia made its legal filing, called an amicus brief, on Monday. Attorney General Mark Herring says the President’s plan will help the Commonwealth’s economy.
“When immigrants are able to work legally even for a limited time, their wages increase, and they seek work compatible with their skill level, and they enhance their skills to obtain higher wages — all of which benefit state economies by increasing income and growing the tax base,” Herring tells WTOP.
He says the reforms will also help improve public safety by removing the fear of deportation that often keeps illegal immigrants from reporting crimes to police.
“Those reforms will also require the undocumented immigrants seeking deferred action under directives to pass criminal and national security checks that will help identify those undocumented immigrants that are truly dangerous and should be deported.”
Prince William County Board Chairman Corey Stewart disagrees. “A lot of other illegal immigrants who the federal government does not consider to be criminals include people who have committed indecent liberties against children (and) DUI,” he tells WTOP.
In 2011, an illegal immigrant from Bolivia with two drunken driving convictions was found guilty of driving drunk again and causing a crash that killed a nun in Prince William County.
Carlos Martinelly-Montano was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the crime.
Stewart also worries about the possible unintended consequences of the President’s executive action.
“We think that additional talk of amnesty here is going to result in the same thing that happened last summer, with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of children making the long, dangerous journey into the United States and being prey to coyotes and other dangerous criminals along the way,” he says.
