Boycott of PWC Businesses?
Posted by Chap at 8/29/2007 8:20 AM and is filed under uncategorized 
One of the issues this election year has been the growing population of illegal immigrants in Northern Virginia and how our larger community will handle that.
There is a legitimate dispute as to whether local or state governments should wade into what is a Federal responsibility. What makes sense in Prince William may not in Arlington or Fairfax. Each jurisdiction has to fight a range of illegal conduct and assign its resources accordingly.
But what is undisputed, in my opinion, is that we are a nation of laws, as well as a nation of immigrants. And those laws must be respected.
Which takes us to the boycott recently announced in Prince William County ....
Recently, organizers of the "undocumented immigrant" community announced a boycott against PWC businesses which cooperate with the County's policy of locally enforcing U.S. immigration laws.
This is an active democracy. Boycotts have historically played a part in giving a voice to the powerless. However, it is truly surreal to have those who illegally enter the United States now organizing a political movement to protest the policies of our democratically elected leadership.
What's next? A boycott of businesses that refuse to hire illegal aliens?
I am not trying to "dumb down" the illegal immigration issue. It's very complex. But when I read about a boycott of law-abiding businesses that does not inspire sympathy. Especially when the rhetoric compares itself with the civil rights struggles in this nation.
You may agree (or not) with the decisions of the PWC Board to proactively address the immigration issue at the local level. But this is not Montgomery Alabama in 1954. To criticize their decision as "racist" or "un-American" is really to criticize the concept of national borders and immigration laws.
And that's a much bigger boycott.
There is a legitimate dispute as to whether local or state governments should wade into what is a Federal responsibility. What makes sense in Prince William may not in Arlington or Fairfax. Each jurisdiction has to fight a range of illegal conduct and assign its resources accordingly.
But what is undisputed, in my opinion, is that we are a nation of laws, as well as a nation of immigrants. And those laws must be respected.
Which takes us to the boycott recently announced in Prince William County ....
Recently, organizers of the "undocumented immigrant" community announced a boycott against PWC businesses which cooperate with the County's policy of locally enforcing U.S. immigration laws.
This is an active democracy. Boycotts have historically played a part in giving a voice to the powerless. However, it is truly surreal to have those who illegally enter the United States now organizing a political movement to protest the policies of our democratically elected leadership.
What's next? A boycott of businesses that refuse to hire illegal aliens?
I am not trying to "dumb down" the illegal immigration issue. It's very complex. But when I read about a boycott of law-abiding businesses that does not inspire sympathy. Especially when the rhetoric compares itself with the civil rights struggles in this nation.
You may agree (or not) with the decisions of the PWC Board to proactively address the immigration issue at the local level. But this is not Montgomery Alabama in 1954. To criticize their decision as "racist" or "un-American" is really to criticize the concept of national borders and immigration laws.
And that's a much bigger boycott.
Chap,
I'm not sure whether we agree on immigration issues (legal and illegal) but I give you credit for raising this issue on your blog, since you will almost certainly really irritate someone no matter what position you take. For what its worth, the legal immigration process in the U.S. is hopelessly inefficient and almost impossible to navigate. As much as I was (generally) in favor of the concepts bandied about in last summer's immigration bill, I have serious reservations about how we could possibly carry out the border control and status adjustment provisions in the bill.
thanks Whitney. Yes, I have tried to work with individual clients going thru the citizenship process. Very frustrating. It would be great to see more efficient system set up. That should be part of any comprehensive overhaul.
Chap, by not even acknowledging the pain and fear in the community targeted by PWC's resolution, you allow the equally morally bad and possibly criminal people on the other side of the issue to get away with too much. I guess we'll have to see once the resolution begins to be enforced how fairly it's applied. If there are infringements on the civil rights of legal residents and if there are infringements on the human rights of non-legal residents, I hope you speak out then, too. I also hope you oppose bad legislation and sensibly prioritize the enforcement of appropriate immigration laws with all our other concerns.
Chap, you may want to join your fellow Dem on the side of the good guys in Manassas. I'm commenting on this here, because there's no doubt in my mind that the anti-immigrant forces in PWC drew the KKK like flies are drawn to, well, you know.
Here's a link to the post at RK on the anti-KKK move - http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=10255
Thought provoking post, Chap.
I feel strongly that the Federal government has dropped the ball on border security, despite creating a huge, hulking bureaucracy (DHS) that cannot seem to get out of its own way.
The Feds failure to secure the border has left states and local governments in quite a pickle. And the reaction to this situation has been quite varied from place to place, as your post points out.
I cringe at extremists on both sides, but especially at some people (mostly in my party, I'm sad to report) who actually have said they want to wall off the Mexican border. Some of my family got stuck on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. That wasn't cool and I don't tend to like to see barbed wire separating people. One thing I've always loved about America: not a lot of barbed wire here. I say let's keep it that way.
Whether we call the people now in our communities "illegal aliens" or "undocumented workers," the unavoidable truth is that they are our fellow human beings. We can never forget that. To me, they have those God-given, "certain inalienable rights" and deserve to be treated with dignity. I'm sure you agree there? And our immigration laws and enforcement on a Federal level needs some serious reform. Elected officials on a Federal level try way too hard to avoid these hot potato issues.
To me, "good guy" or "bad guy" rhetoric is entirely off target in the whole illegal immigration debate. That is where I take some offense at a PW County boycott and perhaps a tad at the prior post, as well.
We are never going to solve these problems by playing politics and ducking. Again, though, we all have to remember that we are dealing with real human beings and we need to treat them, and the whole issue, with a lot of dignity and care.
The key to all of this is the word illegal. Many people from all over the world would like to come to this country and have to follow proper procedures. Having a common border is not an invitation to illegally immigrate to our country. The fact is that many of these immigrants don't even have a common border with our country in many cases the come from a different continent (South America). Respect our country and it's laws, come here legaly and become part of our country, keep the old close to your heart and learn to be part of the new and you will be welcome.
I want this issue dumbed down. I'm glad to see you use the words "illegal alien" in one of your sentences because that's what the issue is. It is absolutely not an issue of legal immigrants. Illegal aliens are criminals and not undocumented immigrants. They became criminals the moment they illegally crossed our border, thus thumbing their noses at the values of our very generous Nation. It's also an issue of our antiquated immigration laws which won't get fixed so long as illegal aliens are harbored and employed without consequence.
This issue is not as complex as some people try to make it. It's clear, as my 80 y.o. aunt says, "If I can rob a bank and be given compassion and my crime ignored, then I'll consider allowing illegal aliens here without arresting those who harbor them. They are criminals the moment they entered our Country without emigrating. My ancestors emigrated legally to the US, but illegal aliens are spitting on everyone of our family ancestors. Allowing illegal aliens to go scot free is preventing our Country from the great promis of America to all those who seek to emigrate legally."
The law is clear and the law is antiquated. The law does not seem to have much energy for change so long as US Citizens are allowed to continue to house and employ criminals without any adverse action. Should we allow everyone to harbor, house and employ drug dealers and sex offenders, without consequence?
I fully support the democrat mayor of Hazelton, PA, for having the guts to do what's right - enforce the law as the law is written, and further passing laws to help the enforce our Federal laws. I'm tired of fellow democrats (who btw are not the swing voters who sway any election from dem to rep or rep to dem in the final count) who hide behind Federal Immigration laws. Do they say, "we let bank robbers openly reside and be employed in our jurisdiction because their crime is a federal matter and not ours."????? hell no. It is high time dems stop kissing the feet of special groups of any kind, and start looking at all people equally - illegal is illegal and right is right. We spend too much time denying rights of our citizens and looking the other way, while also promoting the rights (where rights do not exist) of illegal alien trespassors on our land.
Most dems I know are sick of the way many local and national politicians are headed. It is now time to get rid of all guns outside of the millitia (the only protected right in the Constitution) and, all illegal aliens and, all unnecessary gov't expenses, and any advancement of hot special roads for rich.