PW (Prince William) County immigrant vote could be copied
Kiran Krishnamurthy Media General News Service Wednesday, July 11, 2007
A newly approved measure by Prince William County that would identify illegal immigrants for deportation and deny services to undocumented residents could prompt other Virginia localities to take similar actions, people on both sides of the debate say.
“We’re in effect rolling up the red carpet,” said Dan Arnold, vice president of Help Save Manassas, a grass-roots group that successfully pushed for Tuesday’s passage by the Prince William Board of Supervisors. “We think it’s a growing movement in Virginia.” The board voted unanimously to direct local police to check the legal status of people in custody if an officer has probable cause to suspect someone has violated an immigration law. The measure also seeks to find ways for the county to lawfully deny public services to illegal immigrants. The police chief and other county department heads will report to the board, in about 60 days, on how they can comply with the directive - for example, what constitutes probable cause to ask about legal status.
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