ICE moves to narrow deportation of N.Va. illegals to worst felons

Jul 28, 2008 12:00 AM (20 hrs ago) by William C. Flook, The Examiner

Filed under: WASHINGTON , William C. Flook , Immigration - Virginia

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Federal immigration officials have told Northern Virginia governments they want to focus their limited resources on the most egregious felons when selecting jailed illegal immigrants for a deportation program.

The proposal is the latest evidence that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is having a tough time balancing its manpower constraints with the ambitions of some localities to deport all of their criminal illegal immigrants.

In a May meeting with officials in Prince William County, Herndon and Manassas, ICE said it wants the governments to scrap a specific list of crimes that qualify a criminal to be processed for deportation under the federal 287(g) program, according to a June letter from ICE to Herndon Mayor Steve DeBenedittis summarizing the meeting. The program grants local law enforcement limited immigration enforcement powers.

Instead, the program would be used for “individuals who are convicted of state or federal felony offenses and individuals who pose a significant threat to public safety,â€