Immigrations & Localities

While the Immigration issue has gravitated back out of the national focus, though President Bush has announced a somewhat new focus of sorts as of late, many Localities are being forced to take a look at the issue on a varied local level. The Amercian Civil Liberties Union would prefer to keep the issue of illegal immigration as National (Federal) issue and keep all its regulatory functions on that level and is currently going head to head in courts with local juristictions who are taking the issue on themselves. (Pennslyvania)
We have seen some issues in our area arise as well. Schools are not allowed to require citizenship or even ask for status but merely county residency to permit enrollment. Schools are such a huge issue right now, but do we really understand the impact of illegal immigration has on the County school system. Has the BOS or School Board authorized a study on this matter?
Localities in NVA like Herndon are particpating in programs sponsored by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) where a certain number of officers each year will be trained in enforcement of federal laws by the ICE. The local police and ICE will work together to identify and detain illegal immigrants.
This program is by far more effective than simply having law enforcement learn foriegn languages. While learning to communicate with memebers of the community itself is effective it appears as though taxpayers are taking it twice; educating illegal immigrants on our schools and paying for our agencies to learn to communicate with immigrants. Mind you there are thousands of legal immigrants that are absolutely law abiding citizens that our agencies need to be able to communicate which makes the descision to teach our agencies foriegn languages a sound one, however it should be used along with other means of curbing the influx and impact that illegals are sure to have on the area in the next ten years. If the extent of local policy with regard to the immigration problem is simply having law enforcement learn to speak certain languages than the policy is flawed.