Prince William residents rally to keep 287(g) immigration program in county jail

Residents rallied outside the Prince William County Government Center at 1 o’clock in the afternoon Tuesday in support of longstanding policy used to combat illegal immigration.

The protestors’ signs stated “Save 287(g),” which is a program that checks the legal status of those who have been arrested and charged with a crime. In Prince Wiliam County — one of only two jurisdictions that utilize the program, those checks are done as the suspect is processed into the county jail. If the inmate is found to be in the country illegally, they’re turned over to federal customs and immigration officials.

County sheriff Glendell Hill, who has 51 years of local law enforcement experience in Prince William, including 13 years as sheriff, won re-election last fall campaigning on 287(g).

He told Potomac Local News that a move by the Board of County Supervisors, to appoint three new members the county jail board, of which he serves as chairman, could jeopardize the 287(g) program.

Hill is a strong advocate of 287(g). However, at least one of the potential jail board appointments, Lisa Johnson Firth, a Manassas immigration lawyer, doesn’t, telling Potomac Local News the program has “many problems.”

Now, supporters of the program say these potential appointments, which are recommended by Ann Wheeler, Prince William’s top elected official, and a Democrat whose five months into her first term, is her way of ending 287(g). They also take issue with the appointments being discussed while the Board of County Supervisors continues to operate under an emergency declaration due to the coronavirus pandemic, where it is to only take up matters essential to the ongoing operation of local government.

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, she asked Hill if the county would be just as safe without the program, and asked if there were alternative programs that could be used to keep criminals off county streets.

About 100 people attended the Woodbridge rally held outdoors prior to the meeting. Organizers urged residents to flood supervisors’ email boxes with notes of support for the program.

“If you remember back to November, members of this Board of County Supervisors said they were elected because the people agree with their policy positions,” said Tim Parrish, who is vying to become the next chairman of the Prince William County Republican Committee. “Sheriff campaigned on 287(g) and won, so it seems people agree with his policy position.”

Many at the rally said county law enforcement agencies should continue to have a collaborative relationship with immigration officials in order to keep the community safe.

“I don’t know if 287(g) works for every locality, but it works in Prince William County,” said Alisicia Andrews, who is running for the Republican nomination for Virginia’s 10th congressional district held by Jennifer Wexton (D).

The 287(g) program has been in place at the Prince William County Jail since 2007. The program was renewed in 2012.

There are four jail officers that administer the program at the jail at an annual cost of about $360,000, said Prince William County Jail Superintendent Col. Peter Meletis.

At Tuesday night’s Board of County Supervisors meeting, Hill repeated his concerns that the nominations of prospective members of the jail board are purely political, aimed at getting rid of the 287(g).

“When I look at the 287(g), I looked at it as a bipartisan agreement,” said Hill. “We worked with Democrats in the White House, we’ve worked with Republicans, and I would not get involved in a program that threatened the lives of people.”

Hill went on to say it was the 287(g) program that helped to identify an illegal immigrant who was charged with the rape and sexual battery of a 13-year-old girl in Prince William County.

Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega, a former police officer, reminded her fellow Board members that, in 2018, three MS-13 gang members, who were in the U.S. illegally, abducted 25-year Santos Arquimidis Sorto Amaya, 25, of Woodbridge, killed him, and left his body in a burning car at Veterans Park.

The victim didn’t know his killers, nor had any ties to a gang, police said after his body was found.

Many illegal immigrants who are turned over to ICE custody by Prince William, and who are deported back to their home countries, are wanted on serious criminal charges to include rape and murder in those countries, said Meletis. His staff at this jail conduct in-house investigations that take six to seven hours each, on average, to ascertain this information, Meletis added.

Supervisors Margaret Franklin and Kenny Boddye, of the Woodbridge and Occoquan districts, respectively, told Hill and Meleits that they should explore other than 287(g) to protect the community. They maintain the program unfairly targets illegal immigrants who are fleeing their home countries for safety reasons.

Boddye said he’s talked with a family in Prince William County that became impoverished after the breadwinner committed a crime in the U.S. and was deported back to his home country.

“It was a minor crime, and we can discuss the different levels and severities of crimes,” he said. “We do know that not everyone gets fair treatment under the law.”

Supervisor Victor Angry said the 287(g) program should be reviewed.

“I think we should have a discussion,” said Angry. “I don’t know whether it should stay or go, and I’m not one to stack the deck one way or another.”

Vega countered and said some potential appointees to the jail board have already voiced their opposition to the program, and those would-be members most likely won’t entertain the conversation.

Many people who are opposed to the 287(g) program say it deters illegal immigrants from working with police to provide information that could help solve crimes.

“287(g) marginallizes undocumented communities, and studies show when local law enforcement steps into enforcing federal immigration law, public trust is compromised,” said a Prince William County resident who commented via live video at the meeting.

It was an argument heard again and again during the public comment period.

“When I hear that people are afraid to come forward with information, most Americans are afraid to come forward. We have a name for people who talk to the police: we call them ‘snitches.’ People from all races are afraid to come forward for one reason or another,” said Hill.

When it comes to solving crimes, jail, and its inmates can be used as a crime-fighting tool.

“We don’t want to see victims in our county. I’m well aware we have gang activity, human trafficking,” said Hill. “When people get arrested and you need information about what’s going on in the community, the jail is a good resource.”