As Hundreds Testify, Pr. William's Vote on Immigrant Plan Goes Late

Experts say the county policies are untested in court. A group of 22 plaintiffs has filed a lawsuit against the county and its top officials seeking to block the measures, claiming that they violate equal protection laws and that immigration enforcement is a federal concern.

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In Richmond yesterday, state officials rejected the controversial proposal to build the detention center, where illegal immigrants arrested for certain crimes could be held until federal officials deport them.

"I don't think there is support in the General Assembly or with the public for building a stand-alone facility," said state Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle (R-Virginia Beach), chairman of the Crime Commission.

The detention center would have been the country's first state-run facility built to hold only illegal immigrants accused of crimes. Currently, illegal immigrants who are arrested are held in local jails, federal facilities and private prisons. Under the new proposal, localities would be allowed to keep all of the money the federal government sends them to house federal inmates, including illegal immigrants, instead of giving a share to the state. Sheriffs also would start to receive 50 percent, instead of 25 percent, of the cost of expanding or building jails.

The 22-member task force killed the detention proposal during a more than four-hour meeting yesterday. It approved 18 other proposals that will be considered by the full Crime Commission next month.

Staff writer Anita Kumar contributed to this report from Richmond.