(Washington, DC / Fairfax, VA)  Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today expressed grave disappointment at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote yesterday to fund operations and management of three illegal “day laborer” sites in the Herndon, Culmore and Annandale districts of Fairfax County. 

Judicial Watch, which represents a group of concerned residents and taxpayers of Fairfax, provided the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors with written legal notice and warning on September 8, 2005 – advising against unlawfully expending public funds in furtherance of illegal activity.  Judicial Watch Director of Litigation Paul Orfanedes, as well as Director of Investigations & Research Chris Farrell both made statements before the Fairfax Board of Supervisors during a public hearing held before the budget vote yesterday.

Fairfax County Supervisors exceeded its authority under both federal and Virginia law by using taxpayer funds to deliberately create the conditions and circumstances for illegal aliens to unlawfully obtain employment in violation of federal immigration law.  Fairfax County’s own official study of “day laborer” sites documented that a substantial majority of persons seeking work at such sites are illegal aliens.  Ironically, the Fairfax County Supervisors are using federal funds from a Department of Housing and Urban Development “community block grant” in order to selectively violate federal law.

The Fairfax Supervisors’ funding vote will further subsidize and incentivize criminal human smuggling operations that enable foreign persons to illegally cross the US border and make their way to the metropolitan Washington DC area.  These sophisticated smuggling operations are run by criminal gangs, such as MS-13, that brutally exploit the illegal immigrants as part of their broader racketeering operations.  When this point was raised by Judicial Watch’s Chris Farrell before the Fairfax Supervisors yesterday, not one of the 10 supervisors asked a question or felt the need to comment.

Fairfax County Supervisors have rejected partnering with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, as other states, counties and municipalities do, for a law enforcement solution to the illegal immigration problems confronting the county.

“The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has decided to violate the law and abuse the public trust,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, “Judicial Watch will defend our clients’ interests and rights before the courts.”

###