By Rosalind S. Helderman
Washington Post
RICHMOND, Va. — Law enforcement officials in Virginia can inquire into immigration status of those they stop or arrest — just as they can under a controversial new immigration law in Arizona — Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has ruled in an official legal opinion.
Written in response to a request for legal advice from Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William), Cuccinelli ruled that police officers and other legal authorities can look into the immigration status of anyone stopped or arrested.
A 2008 Virginia law requires that law enforcement check the immigration status of anyone taken into custody on suspicion of having committed a separate crime. Cuccinelli’s opinion could expand such inquiries to those who have been legally stopped by law enforcement, for instance those pulled over for a traffic violation or at a police checkpoint.
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