Pr. William has sent more inmates to ICE than other counties in area
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This is the latest version.
Aug 14, 2008 2:00 AM (6 hrs ago) by David Sherfinski, The Examiner
» 6 hrs ago: Pr. William has sent more inmates to ICE than other counties in area «
4 days ago: Stewart's crackdown in Virginia
6 days ago: Federal bill may hurt initiative against illegals in Pr. William
8 days ago: Prince William turns over 747 illegal immigrants in first year
10 days ago: Pr. William crackdown on illegals leads to $800K shortfall for jail
45 days ago: Pr. William officials say crackdown on illegals reason for crime decline
51 days ago: Revisions to immigration policy take effect July 1
62 days ago: Wolf warns U.N. to stop immigration official from rescheduling visit to Prince William County
63 days ago: Illegal immigrant held in Virginia on Md. charges faces extradition
64 days ago: U.N. human rights official cancels Pr. William visit
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Filed under: WASHINGTON , David Sherfinski , Immigration - Prince William

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Prince William County has turned over 533 inmates to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement this year, 134 more than any other county in the Washington area.

Prince William and Loudoun are the only local counties that formally partner with the federal government to crack down on illegal immigration. The Loudoun Sheriff's Office has released 78 inmates into ICE custody so far in 2008 after handing over 107 illegal immigrants in 2007.

Loudoun has been working with ICE since 2003, said sheriff's office spokesman Kraig Troxell. The county entered into a formal agreement with ICE in June, and recently received clearance to begin checking the resident status of those arrested for serious crimes.

Fairfax County — which has released 399 inmates to ICE custody this year — is the only other county in the area that has applied to participate in the program, known as 287(g).

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Tantallon hopes to catch the wave in P.G. County The program allows local law enforcement officials to hold an inmate under federal detainer if an officer determines the suspect is an illegal immigrant.

Montgomery County has turned over 188 inmates so far this year and released 257 last year.

Prince George's County does not track how many inmates it turns over to ICE.

Of the 149 inmates brought into Arlington's Detention Facility on local charges and held under federal detainer through July, 81 were converted to an ICE-only hold, meaning they were held regardless of the outcome of their initial cases.

Alexandria held 359 inmates under federal detainer from July 1, 2007, to June 30, about a 16 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, jail officials said.

Alan Kraut, professor of immigration history at American University, said Prince William's aggressive policy, which began last year, has had consequences for the county's reputation.

"Right now, Prince William County has become synonymous with American nativism, and I'm not sure that's the kind of reputation all the people in the county want to have," he said.

He added that local jurisdictions pursuing their own immigration policies is not unprecedented, citing the Red Scare of the early 20th century as an example.

"The fact is, we're seeing this now because there seems to be no leadership from the top in regards to immigration policy," he said. "Some [jurisdictions] will turn over any person they find; some will not."

dsherfinski@dcexaminer.com


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