Rising immigration debate – Frederick County, Maryland

“The turning point for newly elected Frederick County Commissioner Charles Jenkins came at a meeting where many county offices requested increased funding for interpreters, particularly Spanish-speakers. Jenkins asked if those receiving services were legal residents and was told that, for the most part, no one knew.

“That stuck with me,” he said. “I think it’s only fair that if you’re going to ask taxpayers to fund a program that you’re going to benefit from, that you at least be in this country legally.”

Spurred by that conviction, Jenkins has tread into a contentious national conversation, along with other local governments – including Anne Arundel County, Loudoun County, Va., and Hazleton, Pa. – that have passed or attempted to pass laws targeting illegal immigrants. He has proposed a law that would deny county services, including schooling, to immigrants who entered the country illegally. And he says he is willing to take the case to the Supreme Court if necessary.”

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