Homebuilders oppose illegal immigration

Dear Editor,

I am writing regarding Larry Miller's letter in which he attempts to use your newspaper's [Aug. 22] story on immigration to grind what appears to be his own personal axe with the housing industry. Nowhere in your story is there evidence to support the outrageous claims that he makes.

The housing industry supports efforts to secure the nation's borders, and in no uncertain terms, we strongly oppose illegal immigration. Like many Americans, we support the ability of people to legally come to this country to work and build a better future for themselves and their families, but also like many Americans, we strongly believe that they need to do so legally.

We also support a fair and efficient system of employee verification. In the post-9/11 world, when the security of our nation is at stake, our citizens deserve no less.

Moreover, we support the efforts of the board of supervisors to ascertain the costs of illegal immigration to the taxpayers of Chesterfield County and to identify possible steps that the county can take. While we continue to believe that in the end this should be resolved at the federal level, we certainly have no issue with Chesterfield County's efforts to take up the slack that has resulted from Congress' inability to move a workable solution forward. Immigration is an important part of national history, and it has contributed to our success as a nation. Our immigration policies should reflect that fact, but they should also reflect our commitment to the rule of law and the security of our state and nation.

Tyler Craddock

Dir. of Public and Government Affairs
Home Building Association of Richmond