The Observer Newspapers |

July 18, 2008

Prince William Approach Needed in Herndon

To the editor:

Last weekend I almost rear-ended a driver who suddenly stopped to negotiate with a day laborer entering McDonald's on Elden Street. I have found that many who hire day laborers (illegal aliens) often lack compassion for our community and usually for the most selfish reasons. The driver smugly blamed the Town of Herndon for his ability to hire day laborers.

The driver's conjecture brings up an interesting point and a more urgent need for our town to be more forceful in removing opportunities for day laborers seeking work on our main street. The appearance that the town allows workers to find work along public roads and private property contributes to the growing acceptance by illegal aliens to seek work. The problem is not that the town is not doing anything about the day laborers; the problem is the town is not using the right tools. Since the laborers are not deterred by a zoning ordinance and few trespassing citations are issued, day laborers are having a free-for-all on our main thoroughfare.

The blight caused by loitering day laborers is noticeable where vegetation is trampled, fencing is destroyed, and mud puddles are growing where grass once grew. Illegal aliens seeking work on our streets continues to tarnish the town's image and creates a false perception of a town being soft on illegal aliens seeking work on our main street. Loitering day laborers are nothing short of a public eye sore and a visual obstacle in accessing businesses along Elden and Alabama streets.

Prince William County enacted a broader enforcement model that caused illegal aliens to flee to neighboring counties (probably to Herndon). While Herndon's policy of zoning enforcement was a good start, it has failed to produce the immediate results seen in Prince William. Overcrowding, crime, and a sudden movement of 700 students (presumably children of illegal aliens or illegal aliens themselves) are all indicators that an enforcement model is the best solution. This year, Fairfax County absorbed 700 students from Prince William County, which directly affects Fairfax County tax payers' pocket books. Students requiring English for Speakers of Other Languages cost the county about $3,500 more per student per year. A small cost percentage is shared by the state but the county property taxes pay the bill.

It is time we devote some sympathy and compassion to our neighbors, homeowners, and business owners who live and work along Alabama and Elden street. The town must address this growing problem now and use more effective tools. We need the mayor to place this most urgent matter on the town agenda today.

We need a reflective listener who understands the anxiety this issue places on everyday families and businesses who must navigate amongst the undocumented aliens who line our streets, curbs, and neighborhoods. With the largest trained 287(g) police force (and the best police force) we could eliminate illegal alien drivers with no operator's licenses within weeks by checking immigration status for repeat offenders. Since many do not carry automobile insurance, the financial burden is all on your shoulders. Its time for the mayor and council to finish the job started two years ago.

Philip Jones

Herndon