Prince William keeps tabs on White House immigration policy

By Cheryl Chumley

Published: April 5, 2009

A recent report on immigration enforcement from the federal Government Accountability Office. A change of White House administration. A tight national economy and ever-stretching fiscal deficit. And a new secretary of Homeland Security who enters the office at a time of great partisan push to overturn policy of the previous administration.

The result?

A possible shift in immigration policy on the national level that could affect how Prince William implements its own enforcement program, and an uncertain future for federal funding of 287(g).

The 287(g) program is how the county jail and police partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to apprehend and process those with criminal backgrounds. Since July 2007, ICE has issued 1,606 detainers for those arrested in the county and 1,506 have been processed, according to county statistics received last week.

“This is what I think is going to happen,â€