By Deirdre Fernandes, The Virginian-Pilot - January 16, 2008

Virginia Beach
Companies that do business with Virginia Beach will have to pledge that they don’t hire illegal immigrants.

All city contracts will include a clause that requires vendors to certify they are following federal immigration laws. Beach officials will audit any company they think is breaking the law.

“I’m very pleased; I think this is the beginning,” said Councilwoman Rosemary Wilson, who suggested such a step in November .

The guidelines will take effect as soon as City Manager Jim Spore issues an order to city departments. He announced Tuesday he will do so in the next two weeks , and the City Council voiced its agreement Tuesday night.

Alicia Fernandez-Bobulinski, vice chairwoman of the city’s Human Rights Commission, said the new guidelines may put a slight dent in illegal immigration locally but won’t stop it.

Like most cities, Virginia Beach has relied on state and federal officials to enforce immigration laws. But city officials have recently been pressured to do more after two teenage girls died last spring when their car was struck by a vehicle driven by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk. The case drew national media attention .

Virginia Beach police now ask those from other countries about their immigration status after they are arrested.

C ity officials, however, said Tuesday night that they have little flexibility to tighten immigration rules. For example, federal law prevents officials from asking children enrolling in public school whether they are in the country legally, said Mark Stiles, a deputy city attorney. “There are limited areas where the city has discretion,” he said.

And there are no guarantees that federal officials will respond when the city reports immigration problems , Councilman Jim Wood said.

According to a letter sent by Sheriff Paul Lanteigne to City Council members last week, the number of detention orders issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials has declined in Virginia Beach. Last April and May, soon after the two teens were killed, ICE detained nearly all the illegal immigrants the city contacted the agency about. In November, the sheriff’s office contacted ICE 45 times, and the agency issued 13 detention orders , according to the sheriff’s report.

The sheriff is releasing illegal immigrants “because ICE is not picking them up,” Wood said.

Still, the city can do more, including partner with federal officials to enforce immigration laws, said Brian Kirwin, a Virginia Beach lobbyist who is affiliated with Save The Old Dominion, a recently formed lobbying group seeking to reduce the number of illegal immigrants.

“I wish the city spent as much time providing information on things we could do as things we couldn’t,” Kirwin said.

There are about 50 bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly this year dealing with immigration.

Deirdre Fernandes, (757) 222-5121, deirdre.fernandes@pilotonline.com