Revised Policy Checks Everyone’s Immigration Status
AP, June 4, 2008
A revised illegal-immigration policy will require Prince William County police to check the citizenship status of every person they arrest.
Chief Charlie Deane says it will only be mandatory after a person is actually arrested.
Officers will have the option of checking someone’s immigration status if they “reasonable suspicion” rather than “probable cause” to think the person is here illegally.
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Police Chief Charlie Deane presented the revised policy Tuesday. The citizenship check for everyone arrested comes after concerns that a previous policy could have led to racial profiling.
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Greg Latique with the group, Help Save Manassas, which has lobbied heavily for the crackdown, believes the change will lead to more arrests of illegal immigrants.
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The revised policy says no one will be arrested for the sole purpose of checking citizenship status. Also, police will retain the discretion to inquire about immigration status before an arrest.
Since the crackdown began in March, police have questioned 265 people about their immigration status. 0f those, 138 have been arrested.
