Latino Group Vows To Sue if Resolution Isn't Tempered

Maria Zelaya of Manassas prays at a rally expressing opposition to the anti-illegal immigrant policy that Prince William County recently passed. (By Nikki Kahn -- The Washington Post)

About 500 people rallied yesterday against recently passed anti-illegal immigrant measures in Prince William County, and Latino religious leaders threatened a federal lawsuit and local boycott if the county does not rescind or alter its resolution cracking down on undocumented residents.

Leaders of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, which organized the event, said they hope to meet with county officials in the next two weeks to alter the resolution. But barring significant changes to the measure, which was passed unanimously last month by Prince William supervisors, they said they will file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

The suit would join others filed across the country against similar measures, which have proliferated in response to Congress's failure to pass an immigration reform bill. In Maryland, Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold (R) signed an executive order last week requiring contractors doing business with the county to sign an affidavit swearing that they do not employ illegal immigrants.

In a courtyard outside Prince William's government center yesterday, people knelt, gripped Bibles and shut their eyes tightly as preachers took turns leading prayers and songs, denouncing the measures and asking that they be repealed.

"We are people of faith, hard-working people. We pay our taxes, we support this country and we are going nowhere!" said the Rev. Miguel Rivera, president of the coalition.

Prince William Supervisor John T. Stirrup Jr. (R-Gainesville), the primary backer of the county's resolution, said he does not expect the board to change its position. He also said that arranging a meeting with Rivera in the next few weeks will be difficult because the board is on recess.

"We live in a litigious society," Stirrup said. "A lot of people sue a lot of people. I think the board is pretty steadfast on its position. . . . We're not going to allow the threat of a lawsuit by any individual or any group to intimidate us on matters of public policy."

The county is deciding how to implement the new directive and will pass ordinances supporting aspects of it in September, Stirrup said.

In anticipation of legal challenges, lawmakers softened the original language of the resolution, which orders police officers to verify the residency status of anyone in custody suspected of being an illegal immigrant and also seeks to block access to some public services and benefits.

The coalition plans to challenge the measure based on a point in the Constitution, said the group's lead attorney, William Sanchez.

"It's clear in the Constitution that the preemption doctrine keeps localities and states from entering into an area in which the federal government already has primary authority, because then there's going to be a conflict, and these conflicts then cause confusion," Sanchez said.

The coalition also has a lawsuit pending against the township of Riverside, N.J., which passed a measure last year that aims to put pressure on landlords and employers who cater to illegal immigrants. A similar ordinance was struck down last month by a federal judge in Hazelton, Pa., and Sanchez said his group is also considering suing Oklahoma over sweeping anti-illegal immigrant legislation signed into law there in the spring.

Among those at yesterday's rally were Bristow residents Anna Ordoñez, 27, and her husband, Geronimo, 25, both originally from El Salvador.

"I came to support our Spanish community," Anna Ordoñez said. "I am a citizen, but just because I am Spanish, they're going to be stopping me to question me. I don't think that's right."

Although Ordoñez said she and her husband will not leave the county if the new measures are implemented, another resident, Harold Silva of Woodbridge, said he does not want to remain where he's "not welcome."

Silva, 40, originally from Colombia, attended the rally with his wife, Andreina. "As soon as I can sell my house, I'm going to leave this county," he said. "This is going to get worse . . . I'm very pessimistic. We've had a very bad history in this country."