Loudoun To Check Residency In Arrests

Several board members said yesterday that they support the sheriff's new authority but expressed concerns about racial profiling.

"If you commit a crime, I have no problems getting rid of you," said Kelly Burk (D-Leesburg), one of the new supervisors. "But I don't want it to be something that just goes after immigrants with Spanish names."

Responding to a question about racial profiling, Simpson told supervisors that his deputies will not check based solely on a suspect's ethnicity.

"I can assure you that that's not what this is all about," he said. "Racial profiling has not been condoned in the department. It never has. It never will be, as far as my administration goes. I'm very sensitive to the issue."

Under the terms of the program in Loudoun, ICE must pick up illegal immigrants from the Loudoun jail within 72 hours after they have completed their sentences, Simpson said. ICE will then make arrangements for them to be deported, he said. Some county officials, including Simpson, have expressed concerns that Loudoun's overcrowded jail cannot accommodate ICE inmates while they await deportation proceedings.

Three Loudoun deputies began training Monday in a one-month ICE program in South Carolina. They will be responsible for making the immigration checks.

The program will be run at minimal cost to the county, beyond the three deputies' salaries, Simpson said.

Staff writers Sandhya Somashekhar and Theresa Vargas contributed to this report.