Thread: Prince William policy on illegal immigrants working

Report: Prince William policy on illegal immigrants working

By: David Sherfinski
Examiner Staff Writer
11/16/10 4:15 PM EST

Prince William County’s high-profile crackdown on illegal immigration was smoothly implemented by the county police department and staff and had few of the unintended consequences critics had feared even though it fell short of some of its original goals, according to a final report on the county’s policy presented Tuesday.


The number of illegal immigrants in the county dropped by between 2,000 and 6,000 between 2006 and 2008, though it was unclear if that was caused by the police crackdown or the souring economy, the report said.

A major goal of the policy was to improve public safety and reduce crime. Most types of crime, however, were not affected by the policy, the report said, though aggravated assaults declined after its announcement in 2007. The study cautioned that the decline could represent changes in crime reporting.

One concern had been fears that the policy would prompt a flood of costly litigation and allegations of racial profiling, but such problems did not materialize and no lawsuits directly claiming racial profiling have been filed against the county, the report said.


The original policy, passed in October 2007, directed police to check the legal status of anyone they arrested if they had probable cause to believe they were in the country illegally.


In April 2008, the board voted to require police to check the status of everyone arrested.

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Tough Law Reduced Immigrants, Study Shows
By SABRINA TAVERNISE
Published: November 17, 2010

WASHINGTON — A study of an Arizona-style immigration policy in Prince William County, Va., has found that it reduced the number of illegal immigrants in the county, but that its effect on violent crime was inconclusive.

The study was conducted by the University of Virginia and the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit group focused on improving police tactics, at the request of the county. It looked at data from 2007, when the policy was proposed, through 2009.

Prince William County began enforcing the tough immigration law, similar to one that was passed later in Arizona and is now facing legal challenges, in 2008. The county’s law required police officers to check the immigration status of anyone they had probable cause to believe was in the country illegally.

The county executive, Corey Stewart, pushed the policy in a campaign that polarized residents. Hispanic groups criticized the policy as inflammatory.

The county’s police department, which paid for the study, expressed concern that the law would be expensive to carry out and that it would lead to accusations of racial profiling, and eight weeks later, it was suspended. It was later revised to apply only to those who had been arrested.

While the county’s foreign-born population more than doubled in the past decade, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a rise largely attributable to the housing boom in northern Virginia, the report found that there were 3,000 to 6,000 fewer illegal immigrants in the county in 2009, compared with 2006.

“We are convinced that it’s a clear result of the policy,â€

FNC Highlights UVA Study That Shows Enforcing Immigration Laws Decreases Violent Crime

By Brad Wilmouth | November 22, 2010 | 00:50

On Thursday’s Fox and Friends, FNC hosts Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy gave attention to a University of Virginia study which found that, since Prince William County in Virginia became more strict in dealing with illegal immigrants in 2007, the jurisdiction has enjoyed a substantial drop in crime - including a 32 percent drop in violent crime - while neighboring Fairfax County has seen crime levels remain steady.

Introducing an interview with Prince William County board of supervisors chairman Corey Stewart, co-host Doocy began: "Back in 2007, Prince William County in Virginia became the first large jurisdiction in the country to adopt a strict immigration enforcement policy. That move was widely criticized."

Co-host Carlson added: "But a new study by the University of Virginia shows crime has dropped since the policy went into effect. ... After a three-year study, here's some of the stuff that's happening: 41 percent drop in the hit-and-run accidents; 46.7 percent decrease in aggravated assaults."

After noting that the University of Virginia and other "neutral organizations" were behind the study, guest Stewart informed viewers violent crime had dropped substantially in his county compared to neighboring Fairfax County. Stewart:

Well, you know, more than anything, it saved us lives. And we had a 32 percent drop in our overall violent crime rate in Prince William County. Prince William County, by the way, very large county. Second largest county in Virginia. And in Fairfax County, neighboring Fairfax County, they had a stable crime rate, and Prince William County's dropped by 32 percent over the same period of time.

Below is a complete transcript of the interview from the Thursday, November 18, Fox and Friends on FNC:

STEVE DOOCY: Back in 2007, Prince William County in Virginia became the first large jurisdiction in the country to adopt a strict immigration enforcement policy. That move was widely criticized.

We've talked about that right here on this program.

GRETCHEN CARLSON, PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: But a new study by the University of Virginia shows crime has dropped since the policy went into effect. Corey Stewart is the chairman of the board of supervisors for Prince William County, Virginia, and he’s our guest this morning. Good morning to you.

COREY STEWART: Good morning, Gretchen.

CARLSON: All right, so these are amazing stats. After a three-year study, here's some of the stuff that's happening: 41 percent drop in the hit-and-run accidents; 46.7 percent decrease in aggravated assaults. You say that's because of your policy?

STEWART: Well, actually, it's not just from me. It's knowledge from the University of Virginia. James Madison University also took part in this study, and the Police Executive Research Forum concluded that the drop in aggravated assaults and hit-and-runs in particular was due to the crackdown on illegal immigration in Prince William County. These are neutral organizations that have now concluded that cracking down on illegal immigration drops crime.

DOOCY: Okay, so, Corey, for folks who are unfamiliar with what you folks are doing out there, how are you cracking down?

STEWART: Well, it’s a pretty simple thing. If you break the law and if you’re arrested for any crime - it can be shoplifting, it could be drunk in public - we mandate that our police officers check your immigration status, and, if you are, in fact, an illegal immigrant, you serve our time in jail, serve your time in jail and then you’re handed over to ICE for deportation.

CARLSON: What has been the relationship between you and ICE? Because we've done countless interviews on this show where if, in fact, the city or the county is tough on illegal immigration, ICE isn't.

STEWART: Well, the men and women who work at ICE are just fine. They're doing a good job. The problem is the political leadership over there, Morton is terrible. They are essentially have established an amnesty policy by default. They issued an employment authorization card to someone who they knew was an illegal immigrant earlier this summer. That person went out, then got a Virginia driver's license and killed a nun. That was just this past summer. So that's what's going on at the political leadership at ICE.

DOOCY: And I understand that, and it's reflected in this UVA study, a significant number of illegals - because you were cracking down - left the jurisdiction. So I would imagine that probably ultimately saved you some money, didn't it?

STEWART: Well, you know, more than anything, it saved us lives. And we had a 32 percent drop in our overall violent crime rate in Prince William County. Prince William County, by the way, very large county. Second largest county in Virginia. And in Fairfax County, neighboring Fairfax County, they had a stable crime rate, and Prince William County's dropped by 32 percent over the same period of time.

CARLSON: Let me ask you this. We're all familiar with the federal government suing the state of Arizona for trying to crack down on illegal immigration. Have they come after you or is it different?

STEWART: Well, they did early on. In 2007, we were sued by a couple of liberal groups, and our policy, unlike Arizona's, withstood the scrutiny. It was upheld by judge Cacheras (sp?) in federal district court judge in Alexandria, Virginia, so we've got a legally sound policy which we now believe is effective and that can be safely replicated across other jurisdictions across the country.

DOOCY: And now the University of Virginia has verified that information. All right, Corey Stewart, from Prince William County down in Virginia, thank you, sir, for joining us live.

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Illegal immigrants represent just 6 percent of the perpetrators of all serious crimes in the county

Oh, it's JUST 6%.....