Pr. William Crackdown To Cost More Than Planned
First-Year Estimate Rises to $6.4 Million

By Kristen Mack
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 2, 2008

Prince William County's much-publicized plan to curb illegal immigration goes into effect tomorrow, facing new questions about whether it will bring the "big bang for the buck" that Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart predicts.

Nearly four months after the board approved the plan, the supervisors now realize it is going to cost more than expected without a clear way to measure its impact.

The policy requires Prince William police to check a suspect's citizenship, even in minor offenses, if they think the person might be in the country illegally. It also denies some county services to illegal immigrants.

The board learned Tuesday that it will cost Prince William $6.4 million to enforce the policy in the first year, more than twice as much as estimated. The five-year price tag is about $26 million.

"At some level, it shouldn't be surprising. We should have seen it coming," Supervisor Martin E. Nohe (R-Coles) said of the climbing cost. "We are the national poster child for local government getting involved in immigration. Whatever we do is going to be praised. Whatever we do is going to be criticized. There's a decent chance we are going to get sued. We can't screw up."

Driving up the cost was Police Chief Charlie T. Deane's recommendation to install cameras in the county's 250 police cars to record when suspects are stopped as a way to defend against allegations of racial profiling. Installing cameras and monitoring footage will cost $3.1 million the first year.

The program also will incur higher-than-expected costs for staff overtime, jail crowding and foster-care services for children displaced from their parents. The plan requires an additional 35 police department positions over five years, including 19 in the budget year that starts July 1.

Although Prince William is implementing the policy relatively quickly, determining its effectiveness will be a challenge. "We don't have a way to measure this yet," Nohe said.

Beyond anecdotal evidence of illegal immigrants leaving Prince William, county officials might not be able to assess the program comprehensively until the University of Virginia, James Madison University and the Police Executive Research Forum review it in October 2009.

But if the measure of success is creating inhospitable conditions for illegal immigrants, proponents and opponents agree that the policy has been effective.

At a recent board meeting, county resident Alanna Almeda told supervisors that friends of her family "self-deported" a month after the resolution was approved.

"They had a $600,000 home and were paying the mortgage, but they walked away from it," she said. "This is who you have driven out of the county. These are the people you are stepping on."

Proponents point to the nearly 400 people who have been detained at the Prince William jail since July, when supervisors passed a resolution directing officers to check the immigration status of anyone in custody who they have probable cause to think is in the United States illegally.

Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained an additional 60 people suspected of being in the country illegally. Although the county keeps track of how many people it detains and refers to federal authorities, ICE does not report back to the county how many of those people were deported.

Based on jail numbers, though, Stewart (R-At Large) said he expects the on-the-street enforcement to go well.

"It's already had an impact. There is anecdotal evidence many have left the community in anticipation of the program. We'll know better after a year," Stewart said.

The object of the policy is not to make anyone uncomfortable living in Prince William, Stewart said, but to remove people who are in the country illegally.

"If you are here illegally, you need to keep your nose clean," he said. "If you violate the law and we catch you, we are going to do everything we can to have you deported."

Although supervisors unanimously supported cracking down on illegal immigrants, they worry about adding costs to a budget already in shortfall. The board is considering raising the real estate tax rate 28 percent, although the average tax bill would grow only 8 percent because of falling home values.

Supervisor John T. Stirrup Jr. (R-Gainesville) recently attempted to remove a requirement that the police department be fully staffed for the county to move forward with the immigration plan. But other supervisors insisted that the requirement remain.

Boosting police staffing, by 125 officers and 20 civilians, will cost $48.1 million over five years.

Nancy Lyall, a coordinator for Mexicans Without Borders, said she believes that once taxpayers understand the costs of implementing the program, support for it will dwindle. "The county is in a dire position. It can't afford to pay for this. As soon as residents realize that, there's going to be a backlash."

Nohe, who backed the policy, said some residents who initially supported the plan could have some misgivings when they learn of the "impact on their pocketbooks." But he said he is inclined to fully fund the initiative as a show of support to the police officers carrying out the board's directive.

"This is new territory we are charting," he said. "If the board is truly committed, we have to fund it in a manner commensurate with that commitment. We can't fund it halfway and expect to get 100 percent of the results."