The Times-Dispatch said that "setting immigration policy is a federal job. Washington needs to shoulder the responsibility it has abdicated." I agree. However, protecting the lives of citizens is the duty of every level of government. The federal government has failed to protect citizens from illegal aliens who commit crimes. The federal government's failure, however, is no excuse for states and localities to abdicate our duties as well. That is the principal that guides the Virginia rule of law campaign.
Prince William County's rule of law policy, the original version of which was introduced by Supervisor John Stirrup in June 2007, mandates that every individual under custodial arrest, regardless of race or ethnicity, be checked for immigration status. Those checks resulted in 3,000 illegal aliens being handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation. But the real impact of Prince William's policy was not the immigration checks, but the message that it sent: If you are illegal, you would be wise to leave our community or, at least, stay out of trouble...
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