Immigration, Crime Debates Entwined

"Deportation is part of the equation. But we're seeing cases where individuals reenter the country, and that has us concerned that the borders are porous," Deane said.

Ebert said that although he does not know what percentage of serious crimes are committed by illegal immigrants, he knows of at least three pending murder cases and two rapes alleged to have been committed by illegal immigrants.

"A lot of these guys come into the country quicker than a tourist can come back into the country, and it's not right," Ebert said.

When a teenager was recently arrested in Woodbridge in schoolyard slayings in New Jersey, he was found in the company of three illegal immigrants, Ebert said. All gave police false names and have been turned over to federal immigration authorities.

On July 10, county supervisors unanimously approved the resolution. Supervisor W.S. Covington III (R-Brentsville) said many criminals will not return after deportation. Still, to completely solve the problem, the federal government must step in, he said.

"The bottom line is we'll never find a complete solution without the federal government," Covington said. "We're a last-ditch effort at this point really."

The two sexual assault cases took place Aug. 25 and 27. In the first, a 19-year-old woman asked a group of men whether she could borrow a cellphone, then accepted a ride to one of the men's house. Once there, police said, she was raped by Jose Anibal Canales, 25, of Woodbridge, who is thought to have fled to El Salvador. In the other, an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old man were walking on Carter Lane in Woodbridge when they were attacked. One of the men arrested in that case, Portifirio Ramirez-Baca, 34, was deported in 1997 for avoiding inspection on arrival.

Greg Letiecq, who has been one of the loudest voices against the illegal immigration issue on his blog, Black Velvet Bruce Li, and through the group Help Save Manassas, said he welcomes the police department's change of practice. In the past, one would have to guess at a suspect's immigration status, looking for clues such as a Hispanic surname and false identification charges, he said.

"Now that they are providing information and we don't have to speculate, we can talk about this as the problem that it is," Letiecq said. "I think the debate is helping to educate folks about the complexities of this problem. There are a lot of folks who walked into it with misconceptions on both sides."