Supervisors to review immigration proposal

KEITH WALKER
kwalker@potomacnews.com
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Supervisor John T. Stirrup, R-Gainesville, proposed a resolution Tuesday during the Prince William Board of County Supervisors meeting that would require all county "officials, agencies and personnel" to verify immigration status of people who use county services.

He said illegal immigration is making area neighborhoods "dangerous" and "reducing quality of life."

The resolution would further require that police "inquire into the citizenship" of anyone they detain for violating state law or county ordinances regardless of national origin, ethnicity or race.

Stirrup asked that the resolution be brought before the board during its July 10 meeting.

Supervisors Hilda M. Barg, D-Woodbridge, and John D. Jenkins, D-Neabsco, balked, saying the resolution, which cited several state and federal laws, could not be thoroughly considered in two weeks.

"There's so much here," Jenkins said of the page-and-a-half resolution.

"Some of it touches on state law and some of it federal law. This resolution needs to be coordinated with the attorney general. There are some things in there that I know that run contrary to what we as a board are authorized to do," Jenkins said.

Stirrup said he learned from other jurisdictions that tried to pass similar resolutions that have been challenged in court and wrote his accordingly.

He said his resolution is "in concert" and not "at cross purposes with" state and federal laws.

"Legally, I think we're very comfortable passing this as a board," Stirrup said.

Barg said the Prince William police Chief Charlie T. Deane should be included in any such decision.

Deane is on record saying he doesn't favor having police officers enforce immigration laws because it would create fear in the community. People might be less likely to report crime if they fear they might be asked about their immigration status.

Barg wanted a chance to gather more information.

"It looks like it has a lot of legal ramifications that we might need a work session on it rather than a resolution. It's just so intense that I wonder if we shouldn't do a work session with the chief on this," Barg said.

Stirrup said his resolution should be handled in the same way as any other resolution that comes before the board.

"Should the board choose at a later date to have a work session, we can certainly discuss that," Stirrup said. "But I think that our custom is that members bring resolutions to the board for consideration, and at the next session they're decided upon," Stirrup said.

Stirrup said two weeks was plenty of time to consider the resolution.

"If members feel overwhelmed by the size or the scope of the resolution, you certainly have all of the capabilities of the county at your disposal to seek any information or research that you might need," he said. "I think the next two weeks should be sufficient to read the resolution ... and make that determination."

County Executive Craig Gerhart told the board there would be several issues to be worked out, including the county's relationship with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE.

During previous board discussions on illegal immigration, ICE representatives said that the agency won't accept and hold every illegal immigrant that is brought in for minor crimes.

"ICE is very clear as to what they want to accept from localities and what they're not interested in accepting," Gerhart said."I do think there are some operational issues with respect to the relationship with the federal government."

"There are also some fiscal issues in terms of work load," Gerhart said.

Officials at the Prince William-Manassas regional jail say that the jail is too crowded to hold people for minor offenses.

Stirrup doesn't agree.

"I think that that's a cop out on their part," he said. "We can't just throw our hands up and say 'The jails are full and there's nothing we can do.' "

Stirrup's resolution would also insure that police officers or county workers cannot be prohibited from "sending, receiving or maintaining" or "exchanging" immigration information with any state, federal or local government.

Stirrup said he proposed the resolution in response to public pressure.

"There have been a lot of questions about what we can do legally to try to address illegal immigration," he said. "It's way overdue. People are just clamoring for action."

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