Prince William OKs illegals crackdown

Prince William OKs illegals crackdown
Article published Oct 18, 2007
By Seth McLaughlin

Prince William County passed one of the most aggressive crackdowns on illegal aliens in the country after an emotional 12-hour meeting that ended early yesterday morning. "We are dealing with a problem that has been undermining the quality of life in the county, period," said Corey A. Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. "There is nothing more to it." At about 2:30 a.m. yesterday, the eight-member board unanimously approved restrictions on county services and appropriated $325,000 to hire seven persons for a new Criminal Alien Unit. Some of the money will also be used to train police officers on when probable cause exists to check immigration status. Mr. Stewart said yesterday that he has ordered his staff to "immediately begin putting into place procedures to check people's immigration status and cut off services to illegal aliens." But officials warned that it could take several months to hire the unit, train the department's roughly 550 officers and determine who is ineligible for which taxpayer services. The board passed the measures over the warnings of immigrant advocacy groups, who said that the new plan would lead to racial profiling and encourage illegal aliens not to report crimes. Supervisor Martin E. Nohe, Coles Republican, said the measure targets only the "worst of the worst." "We will not be randomly asking people's immigration status," he said. "There are not going to be any sweeps or roadblocks." The board also banned county officials from granting business licenses to people who cannot prove their legal status and denied illegal aliens eight taxpayer-funded services. The services include access to some in-home elderly care programs, drug-rehabilitation programs and property-tax breaks. "Once you strip out the things we are already denying, strip out the things we cannot deny, and strip out the things that are impractical to deny, what you are left with are eight things," Mr. Nohe said. Mr. Stewart estimated that the package would cost $2.5 million a year and thinks that the county will recoup the money over time. "As illegal immigrants who commit crimes are removed from the community and we make it clear Prince William is not welcoming of illegal immigration that is going to be where you see the true cost savings," he said. Mr. Nohe supported the measures but said he was uncertain about the cost savings. He said that there was "no reason to believe" illegal aliens — because of the nature of their immigration status — used the services, but that the measure would ensure they were available to legal county residents. Nearly 400 people spoke at the meeting and more than 1,200 people showed up at the county government center. There were reports of scuffles in the street between supporters and opponents of the measures before police separated the two sides as the meeting began shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday. The debate was closely watched across Virginia and the country and pushed the county to the forefront of the national debate over illegal aliens. "We're getting inquiries from all over Virginia and all over the country," Mr. Stewart said. "There has been an outpouring of interest in what we are doing." Locally, Loudoun County in July joined Prince William in adopting resolutions in favor of local enforcement of immigration laws. Several other Virginia jurisdictions have passed or considered immigration-related resolutions, including Chesterfield, Culpeper, James City, Page, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties and the city of Manassas. Loudoun County Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, Sterling Republican, applauded Prince William's approach, saying he hopes his county will follow suit. "I feel a little jealous that Prince William can actually accomplish more," he said. "I salute them for moving in that direction." A legal challenge against limiting public services to illegal aliens was filed on behalf of the Woodbridge Workers' Committee and 21 residents, including illegal aliens, in federal court this week by a group of lawyers and the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a national organization that advocates for illegal aliens. County officials said they were confident that the measures would survive. "We were very careful to ensure this package would withstand any legal challenge," Mr. Stewart said. SERVICE CUTS The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted unanimously to deny the following services to illegal aliens: •Financial assistance to allow elderly and disabled to remain in homes •In-home services to elderly residents •Thumbprint and photo-identification cards issued by the police department •Rental- and mortgage-assistance programs •Substance-abuse programs in local jails •Drug-prevention programs in neighborhoods identified as high-intensity drug-trafficking areas •Tax-relief programs for elderly and disabled residents •Tax breaks for renovating residential properties Source: Prince William Board of County Supervisors