Virginia is struggling with cultural changes brought on by a rise in legal and illegal immigration over the past decade.
The state is home to more than 200,000 illegal immigrants, up 50,000 from 1996, according to a study for the Pew Hispanic Center. The number of Virginians born outside the United States has grown from 311,809 in 1990 to 570,279 in 2000, according to the census.
A Washington Post poll taken Sept. 6 through Sept.9 showed that in Virginia, 33 percent of registered voters think "the growing number of immigrants" has been bad for their communities, compared with 21 percent who believe it is good.
"Virginia has definitely emerged as a new gateway state, and it looks like the politics of immigration there are starting to resemble what we've seen in California or Arizona," said Michael Fix of the Migration Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank in Washington that tracks immigration law. "The big political and legal question that is taking shape right now is, where will we draw the lines on this issue?
I don't know how many are illegal, but just about everyone doing lawn-service work, home construction and remodeling, and similar jobs around here seems to be Hispanic. Many fast-food restaurants (Wendy's, McDonalds, etc.) have nearly exclusively Spanish-speaking staff. Most of the big-box stores in the area have bilingual signs. I've noticed the changes.
Cheers,
Scott.