Guards at Prince William County’s jail will tip off federal immigrations officials when suspected felony offenders are released.
The recent decision by the county’s jail board stipulates guards will call federal authorities for felony offenders who have been issued detainers by federal immigrations and customs officials, better known as ICE. Upon their release, federal authorities will have the option of coming to the jail and picking up the suspect.
Customs officials have access to the county’s fingerprinting system and use it to determine if one of its suspects have bene processed through a jail. The jail will not place courtesy calls to federal officials upon the release of suspects charged with anything less than a felony offense, said PrincE William County Sheriff Glendell Hill, chairman of the jail board.
The new policy comes after the jail board in June ended its 287(g) program, which had been in place in the county since the George W. Bush administration. Under that program, specially trained officers at the jail would process the legal status of everyone admitted to the jail and would then call federal authorities if someone was suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.
Jail officials, as well as federal customs authorities pleaded with the jail board to keep the program in place, saying it led to the capture of 65 people suspected of murder, as well as 277 for sexual assault, 489 for dangerous drug offenses, and 1,612 people suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. The jail board, with three newly-appointed members from Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair At-large Ann Wheeler, to include Delegate Elizabeth Guzman (D, Prince William, Fauquier) who vowed to end the program two years before being appointed to the jail board, allowed the program to expire on June 30.
