Thread: VA- Checking Arrestees Nabs Illegal Immigrants

Tuesday
July 29, 2008


July 29, 2008 8:13 AM


Checking Arrestees Nabs Illegal Immigrants

Posted 2008-07-29

Rockingham Deputies Discover 200 Aliens


By Jeff Mellott





HARRISONBURG - Since August, Rockingham County sheriff's deputies have arrested as many as 600 people on various charges who were not born in the United States, according to Rockingham County Sheriff Donald Farley.

When deputies checked their immigration status, about a third of those arrested were in the country illegally, Farley said Monday.

The sheriff's office detected the illegal immigrants through a federal program often referred to as 287(g), which coordinates local law enforcement efforts with those of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Because the county had been participating in the federal program, a new state law requiring jailers check on the status of foreign-born residents will have little impact on the office's procedures, said Rockingham Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Bruce Folks.

New Law

The Virginia law, which went to effect July 1, requires that jailers check with ICE to determine if someone is in the country legally, Folks said. The jailer files the results of the query with the statewide Local Inmate Date System.

With the adoption of the new law, Folks said, the county began reporting its results on foreign-born inmates to the statewide system instead of ICE.

The new law does not result in any additional cost to the county, Farley said.

In Page County, the law's impact may also be slight.

Although the Page County Sheriff's Office does not participate in the 287(g) program, it has been entering information about the arrests of foreign-born residents directly into the statewide data system, said Deputy Capt. Isaac Good.

Still, Good said more research must be done to determine the effect of the new law there.

The law, which had the support of the six legislators who represent Harrisonburg and Rockingham County in the General Assembly, was introduced by Del. David Albo, R-Fairfax.

While the cost of tracking illegals who've been arrested may be relatively minor in the Valley, that's not necessarily the case in at least one Northern Virginia community.

According a story in The Washington Post on Monday, Prince William County plans to hire 16 deputies to train with ICE in the federal program. The newspaper reports that this will the cost the county about $1.5 million this fiscal year.

Contact Jeff Mellott at 574-6290 or jmellott@dnronline.com



http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.p ... 221&CHID=1

According a story in The Washington Post on Monday, Prince William County plans to hire 16 deputies to train with ICE in the federal program. The newspaper reports that this will the cost the county about $1.5 million this fiscal year.



Now heres a cost of illegal immigration that I haven't heard of. Add this to the rest.