Prince William Co. Moves to Deport Illegal Immigrants

WASHINGTON -- Some officials in Prince William County are making moves to deport illegal immigrants who commit other crimes.

Next month, county supervisors will consider a plan to allow corrections officers at the county jail to start deportation procedures on illegal immigrants, instead of leaving that task completely up to the federal government's Immigration and Customs Enforcement division.

"If somebody's been detained for a crime in any case and we check their immigration status and determine that they're here illegally we can immediately begin deportation proceedings instead of releasing them," says Chairman Corey Stewart.

Prince William County would need special training for staff at the jail and approval from the federal government before the program could start.

The county's move is part of a growing trend in some local governments.

Several communities are training local police to take similar action, but Stewart says that is not planned for now in Prince William.

Last week, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell proposed giving similar authority to state police, state corrections officers and workers at the DMV, but that plan faces some resistance from Governor Kaine.

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