Expansion of immigration enforcement could affect Prince William crackdown
By: David Sherfinski
Examiner Staff Writer

06/16/09 8:07 PM EDT

A new immigration enforcement program from the federal government effectively could eliminate Prince William County’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, experts say.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to make the program, known as Secure Communities, available to all 1,200 of the country’s state and federal prisons and 3,100 local jails by the end of 2012.

Fairfax County recently became the first jurisdiction in Virginia to begin using the program. Under Secure Communities, local officers scan the fingerprints of individuals arrested, which are run through government databases.

Prince William’s program, a partnership with ICE known as 287(g), deputizes local officials to enforce some federal immigration laws.

But if Secure Communities becomes more widely used, it would be “very difficult to seeâ€