County issues statement on immigration enforcement

Wed 2:24 PM, Mar 08, 2017 |
Updated: Wed 6:25 PM, Mar 08, 2017

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (NEWSPLEX) -- Albemarle County has laid out its position on immigration issues in a statement released Wednesday. The statement covers various departments including schools, social services, human resources and police.

The statement says the Albemarle County Police Department will remain focused on enforcing local and state laws, leaving immigration enforcement to federal agents.

"We do not ask somebody's status when we pull them over," Albemarle Police Chief Ron Lantz confirmed in an interview. He said police officers aren't actually able to check immigration status because they don't have access to the federal database.

While the police won't make immigration arrests, anyone charged with a crime and taken to the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail could potentially end up in federal custody, said Superintendent Martin Kumer. That's because the jail checks citizenship status of anyone admitted to the jail and runs fingerprints through the federal database.

If the individual is undocumented or wanted on a previous immigration charge, the jail gives notice to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they must take custody of the person at the time of their scheduled release from ACRJ.
In addition to describing the police department's role in immigration enforcement, the county statement says the public schools do not require proof of a student's immigration status for enrollment. Student privacy is protected by the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, or FERPA.

However, the statement says if schools are aware that an individual is in this country illegally, the schools "may not engage in conduct that substantially facilitates the person to remain in the United States without authorization."

The statement also says the county Department of Social Services does not routinely report immigration information to federal authorities and that households with at least one legally present person may be eligible for certain services.

Finally, the statement says that anyone employed by the county must present proof of legal immigration status, and independent contractors hired by the county must have a valid social security number.


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