Herndon Plans to Run Day Labor Center

Search for Private Sector Management Remains Unsuccessful

By Bill Turque

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

The town of Herndon, unable to find a new private operator for its day labor center, is preparing to take over management of a facility that has become a focal point in Northern Virginia's immigration debate.

Mayor Stephen J. DeBenedittis said today the Town Council will discuss a resolution next Tuesday that would authorize the town to provide temporary staffing at the site, which was opened two years ago as a place for laborers to find short-term work.

A vote on the measure is scheduled for Sept. 11, but the town is already moving toward hiring personnel. It has placed an ad in the Herndon Observer seeking a coordinator and assistant coordinator for the labor center.

Since late last year, the town has searched unsuccessfully for an operator that would verify the immigration status of workers using the center. Project Hope and Harmony, which is affiliated with the nonprofit Reston Interfaith that runs the center through a grant from Fairfax County, does not check legal status.

Reston Interfaith offered to remain on an interim basis until the town found a successor. But on Aug. 15, the council voted to oust the organization. It will cease operation of the center on Sept. 14, when its county grant expires.

The Herndon Official Workers Center has roiled town politics since it opened in December 2005. Former Mayor Michael L. O'Reilly and the council established it in response to complaints about mostly Hispanic day laborers who gathered on town streets to flag down potential employers in their cars.

Supporters of the center said they fear the town's takeover will discourage workers from using the site and trigger a return to the streets.

Tagged: immigration

Your Thoughts...

Are you happy that the school year is over?