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Prince William OKs laws denying illegals
By Gary Emerling
October 17, 2007
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UPDATED:
Prince William County, Va., early this morning gave final approval to some of the nation's most stringent immigration laws after yesterday's Board of County Supervisors meeting.
At 2:30 a.m., after more than 12 hours of testimony from hundreds of residents and others, the eight-member board unanimously approved measures to deny county services to illegal aliens and authorize police to check the immigration status in all arrests if there is probable cause to think that a suspect has violated federal immigration law.

LAKE RIDGE, Va. — Prince William County, Va., last night was poised to give final approval to some of the nation's most stringent immigration laws.

The Board of County Supervisors spent hours listening to testimony from 370-plus residents and others on either side of measures that would deny county services to illegal aliens and authorize police to check the immigration status in all arrests if there is probable cause to think that a suspect has violated federal immigration law.

As the night wore on toward midnight, person after person addressed the board — people representing changing neighborhoods divided by the proposals. Some berated those who support the measures, some offered tearful pleas to reject the restrictions, and others urged the supervisors to adopt them.

At 11:30 p.m., more than 70 people were waiting to speak before the board.

"I feel like I'm a foreigner in my own town, and I don't like that," said Peggy Watkins of Manassas. "We don't hate [immigrants]. We just don't want them to be breaking the law and doing things out of order without any control."

"The biggest problem here is ignorance, and it's ignorance on both sides," said Vilma Lopez of Woodbridge. "We're all the same people."

If approved, the county would join other states and localities nationwide that have taken up the issue of illegal aliens.

On Nov. 1, a package of laws passed in Oklahoma goes into effect, making it a crime to transport or harbor illegal aliens, ending public-assistance benefits for illegals, empowering state and local police to enforce federal immigration laws and punishing employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens.

Locally, Loudoun County in July joined Prince William in adopting resolutions in favor of local enforcement of immigration laws. Several other Virginia jurisdictions have passed or considered immigration-related resolutions, including Chesterfield, Culpeper, James City, Page, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties and the city of Manassas.

The eight-member Prince William board on Oct. 2 voted unanimously in favor of implementing a policy that would allow police officers to check immigration status.

But the supervisors opted to further study how to fund the proposal and also postponed votes on measures that would prohibit illegal aliens from receiving specific county services and on finding money to pay for a new seven-member Criminal Alien Unit in the police department.

Yesterday, as the board prepared for its vote, a raucous crowd of more than 1,000 people, most of whom were opposed to the measures, gathered outside the meeting and chanted while others unfurled a large, green banner with the slogan "Rescind the resolution."

During testimony, those in favor of the measure accused illegal aliens of being a drain on county resources.

Christopher Cummings, a Manassas resident, praised supervisors for stepping "into the breach" to help stop illegal entry. He said county taxpayers should not hesitate to fund the proposals.

"None of us on our own can do anything to stem the influence of illegal immigration and the degrading influence it has on our country," Mr. Cummings said. "If it's a question of money, we will pay unflinchingly."

Those opposed to the policies accused proponents of racism, hate and xenophobia.
"We feel that you don't want to listen to us," Ricardo Juarez, president of Mexicans Without Borders, told the board. "We feel the issue of illegal immigration is an excuse to go forward with a different agenda."

Prince William County, about 35 miles southwest of the District, has struggled with an influx of illegal aliens and the subsequent burden on government services. From 2000 to 2005, census figures show that the county's Hispanic population grew from 9.7 percent to roughly 18 percent of its residents.

The county was thrust into the national spotlight in July, when supervisors initially passed resolutions that would cut county services to illegal aliens and allow police to conduct the identity checks.

But board members pushed back final decisions on the measures until yesterday, after learning that the county's police services could lose $575,000 from a state budget cut and that the police proposal would cost an estimated $14.2 million.

Board Chairman Corey A. Stewart, a Republican running for re-election, has said the county could add a half-cent to the local property-tax rate to help with the costs.

The board also directed staff members to study what county programs and services could be denied to illegals.

Staff members have recommended that the county restrict services such as access to adult day care and granting business licenses.