MANASSAS, Va. – The Manassas City Republican Committee is calling on residents to fill the room at the next Prince William-Manassas Regional Jail Board meeting, pushing for the jail to renew its 287(g) immigration enforcement partnership with federal authorities.
The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the conference room of the Adult Detention Center, 9320 Lee Avenue in Manassas.
In a message to supporters this week, the GOP group warned that seating is limited and advised attendees to arrive early to avoid being turned away. That advice follows complaints from residents at the board’s last meeting who said they were denied entry even though they saw empty seats inside.
In response to questions from Potomac Local News, Sheriff Glen Hill confirmed there will be no changes to the seating or meeting format. However, he added that he is open to speaking with board members to gather their feedback on how to handle future crowding concerns.
The city’s Republican committee says the jail’s decision to end the 287(g) program in 2020 amounts to a “sanctuary” policy, a claim they say was confirmed by Governor Glenn Youngkin’s office. The group is calling for full cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to process all undocumented immigrants charged with crimes.
As previously reported by Potomac Local News, debate over 287(g) has resurfaced in recent months, with supporters urging the board to bring the program back, while others have raised concerns about the impact on immigrant communities and public trust in law enforcement.
The GOP’s message also warned that the jail’s current policy could put state and federal funding at risk, citing warnings from the White House and the Governor.
Residents who are unable to attend in person are encouraged to submit written comments to [email protected].
The 287(g) program is a partnership between local law enforcement agencies and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that allows trained local jail officers to assist in identifying, processing, and detaining individuals who may be in the country illegally and are charged with criminal offenses.
Authorized under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the program enables selected local officials to perform certain federal immigration enforcement duties under ICE supervision, typically limited to actions taken within local jails. Participation in the program requires a formal agreement between the local agency and ICE, along with specialized training for the officers involved.
“I was at the Jail Board meeting as a member of the public but was turned away, along with several others,” said resident Ben Walters in an email to Potomac Local News. “Jail Board staff claimed there wasn’t enough room, yet I understand there were empty seats… I submitted written comments well in advance, but they were not made available at the meeting. And since I wasn’t allowed in, I also had no opportunity to present them verbally.”
Walters and others told Potomac Local News that he had hoped to raise concerns about the Board’s current position on Section 287(g) — a federal program that allows local jail officers to identify and refer suspected undocumented immigrants to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for potential removal.
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During its February 2025 meeting, the Thirty-First Judicial District Community Criminal Justice Board (CCJB), re-elected Bradley Marshall as board chairman and elected Yesli Vega as vice chair. The board, which serves the greater Prince William County area, assists community agencies and organizations in establishing and modifying programs and services for criminal offenders based on objectively assessing the community’s needs and resources.
Marshall, a criminal defense attorney with Manassas-based Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, P.C., has been a board member since 2009 when he was appointed as former Commonwealth’s Attorney Paul Ebert’s designee. He was first elected chairman in 2014 and remained in the position after transitioning to private practice. Marshall attributes his long history in Prince William County law and his experience as both a prosecutor and defense attorney as reasons his colleagues have consistently elected him.
“I believe my colleagues have elected me for over a decade because I bring a steady hand to the meetings and to guiding the board, as well as a lot of institutional memory,” Marshall said.
Vega, the Coles District representative on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors and a key figure in local politics, said she relies on data and her experience in law enforcement to guide her decisions.
“As a law enforcement officer, I bring a unique perspective and understanding of our local criminal justice system, using data and community input to advocate for effective, evidence-based practices,” Vega said.
A Prince William County reserve deputy sheriff, Vega began her law enforcement career as a police officer in Alexandria before serving with the Manassas Park Police Department.
“Supervisor Vega is a proven consensus builder who can bring stakeholders together to navigate complicated situations and come together to do what’s best for the community. I have no doubt she will continue to do so as vice chair of this board,” Marshall said.
The CCJB consists of 27 board members from local agencies involved in probation and the incarceration of accused individuals.
“The best thing about this board is the number and level of stakeholders involved,” Marshall said.
In addition to representatives from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, defense attorneys, and law enforcement officers, the board includes judges, social services representatives, behavioral health providers, and citizens from each represented area.
“It is a board of subject matter experts who collaborate to help each other, and in the end, help the community,” Marshall said.
The board ensures that court-offered programs comply with changes in state policy and best practices nationwide.
“Ultimately, I want to ensure that programs yield measurable improvements in public safety and reduced recidivism,” Vega said.
Marshall agreed.
“The board has made tremendous strides in evidence-based decision-making over the last several years, and I know we will continue to do so in order to improve the local criminal justice system,” he said.
The CCJB meets quarterly. Its next meeting will be held at 5 p.m. April 22, 2025, at the Adult Detention Center, 9320 Lee Avenue, Manassas.
A Manassas man who brought an Uzi to Manassas Mall got a lenient sentence after Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth offered him a sweetheart deal to close out two separate cases related to the mall shooting and a separate case where jail officials alleged he participated in a jailhouse beating with five other men who cornered and beat three members of a rival gang.
Daevon Russell, 19, of 9306 Taney Road in Manassas, who at the time, was on pre-trial probation for a 2023 Manassas City shooting that left another teen paralyzed from the neck down, went to the Manassas Mall on July 9, 2024, armed with the Uzi and got into an altercation with another group of teens in the food court.
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Throughout the six-week course, inmates are able to develop their communication skills, build their confidence, develop active listening skills and articulate their stories with intent and purpose, a county press release stated.
Nick Baskerville, who coaches the workshop, emphasized the powerful tool that is storytelling. Baskerville is a storyteller and comedian.
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Sanctuary jurisdictions typically have regulations that limit cooperation with ICE, impacting the enforcement of immigration laws. These measures may include refusing ICE detainers, restricting agency interactions with ICE, or hindering the sharing of information about incarcerated aliens.
ICE uses detainers as a key mechanism to detain aliens involved in criminal activities, ensuring their custody transfer for deportation. These detainers provide details about the individual’s criminal and immigration history, highlighting their public safety or security risk.
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Prince William County leaders may not want federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its jail, but apparently, they're OK with them in the county's recently acquired firearms training center.
The Board of County Supervisors on Tuesday, December 19, 2023, is expected to approve multiple agreements with various law enforcement agencies, both federal and local, to use the Prince William County Police Department Scenario-Based Training Center at 7751 Doane Drive near Gainesville.
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The Living Library Initiative, a fledgling project to benefit one of our county’s most vulnerable populations, seeks to expand and diversify the books available for people incarcerated in the Prince William/Manassas Regional Jail. Through active collaboration with community partners, the PWOPD is gathering new reading material for those held at our local jail while strengthening ties to the larger community the office serves.
Prior to the Initiative’s launch on March 13, The Initiative organizers collected ideas from Prince William [Adult Detention Center], community organizations, and incarcerated individuals about the jail’s most pressing literature needs. The results can be found in the Living Library Initiative’s Amazon Wishlist and fliers distributed throughout the community. There are several drop box locations across the county for those who have new or gently used paperback books they wish to donate, including at firehouses, community centers, churches, and libraries.
The Prince William Public Defender Living Library Initiative has roughly one month left and will accept paperback book donations through May 15.
Drop box locations, highly desired books, and links to the Initiative can be found on Instagram (@pwdefenderslivinglibrary) and Facebook (Living Library Initiative) or by emailing the organizers directly at [email protected].
— The Prince William Public Defender Office
The first couple donated a $43,750 check, the governor’s first-quarter salary, to Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, which works with inmates inside the jail, according to a press release.
The governor’s office did not tip off the press to his visit. Afterward, the first couple visited the nearby Prince William County Western District Police Station and spoke with a graduating crisis intervention team class.
More in a press release from the governor’s office:
Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin today announced the donation of his first-quarter salary to the Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, an organization dedicated to supplying faith-based resources for jails and prisons in the Commonwealth of Virginia and worldwide.
At the Prince William County Adult Detention Center, Governor Youngkin maintained his promise to donate his gubernatorial salary to organizations that strengthen Virginia communities.
“I pledged to serve without accepting a salary to support Virginians every way I can,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “The Good News Jail & Prison Ministry exemplifies the heart and Spirit of Virginia by providing hope, resources, and transformational opportunities for incarcerated Virginians. This administration continues to respect the law and those inside the criminal justice system with increased access to mental health services, best practices for trade skill acquisition and by maintaining excellence in the restoration of rights process, among other priorities.”
“On the eve of Second Chance Month, Glenn and I laud the life-changing mission of Good News Jail & Prison Ministry,” said First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin. “We firmly believe that every Virginian deserves an opportunity to flourish and we are grateful for this opportunity to support great and Godly works.”
Police said three inmates earned new charges after a mob assault inside the Manassas jail.
On Friday, October 28, police said a 39-year-old man, an inmate of the facility identified as the victim, was inside a room when multiple other inmates entered.
