The Department of Homeland Security will end its Memorandum of Agreement with Prince William County October 16, 2009 and replace it with a new, revised  287(g) program  that will attempt to make information more accessible.   Additionally, how immigration arrests are handled nationally will be standardized.

According to the Manassas News and Messenger:

“[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has made changes to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOA), terminating the original agreement and requiring execution of a new and revised MOA,” state background documents to the board, which will meet to discuss the issue at 2 p.m. at the McCoart Administration Building.

 

Supervisors have to authorize the police chief to sign and execute the new agreement.

 

The new agreement will not limit the number of officers eligible for 287(g) training and require ICE to give credentials for those who pass the course. It will also require the police department, as well as ICE, to perform background checks, according to the background documents.

 

Further: The new agreement states that “ICE must give approval for an immigration arrest where no state or local charges are made [and] ICE must give prior approval of planned operations where immigration enforcement is the sole function.” One more revision “provides levels and types of criminal offenses that ICE directs to be a focus, rather [than] pursuing immigration enforcement based on specific charges,” according to the background documents.

 

The cost of the 287(g) program to the county is not expected to change because of the new agreement, “unless additional officers are designated for training,” the background documents state.

Tomorrow the BOCS will discuss and vote on whether to authorize  Chief Deane to sign a new Memorandum of Agreement with DHS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The agenda item is at http://www.pwcgov.org/documents/bocs/agendas/2009/1013/8-A.pdf

Fairfax and Prince William County are the only 2 jurisdictions in Virginia to have the new 287(g) agreement, if supervisors agree.  Maricopa County in Arizona will have the same set of rules we do.  The police dept will operate under a task force model.  The ADC will operate under a dentention model. 

I don’t think this means we are going to start operating like Sheriff Joe.

13 Thoughts to “BOCS to Deal with Immigration Policy Changes”

  1. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

    Lets stop trimming this weed pull the problem out from the roots. Tomorrow at 3 PM on the West Lawn of the Capitol Building we will hold an immigrant rights rally where Congressman Luis Guitierrez will present principles for an immigration reform bill he will soon introduce into Congress. WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT. More information by calling 888-624-2001.

  2. Witness Too

    I trust Chief Deane on this one. If he likes the new agreement, then I hope the Board votes to sign it. I assume it is improved because there has been an intensive study at the federal level to make the agreement more productive and to irradiate abuses.

  3. Rebecca

    This New York Times Editorial does not think much of Sheriff Joe or 287G.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/opinion/12mon2.html?th&emc=th

  4. GainesvilleResident

    Just noting a curious quirk in the software here. When I view this thread it says there are 4 comments, but when I click on the link to view the comments there are only 2!

    I would think this 287(g) replacement doesn’t change things very much – it sounds like revisions were made just to clarify some things and make enforcement easier.

  5. Standardization….could be a good thing. I hope?

  6. Last Best Hope

    I think it is a good thing to refine this system. I think the Board has learned its lesson and will listen to law enforcement experts like Chief Deane instead of K Street anti-immigration organizations and novice Republican strategists.

  7. Moon-howler

    GR, re: software. We upgraded and it wasn’t all a good thing. The counters are off for sure. Stay tuned.

  8. Moon-howler

    Will there be a line up to speak at citizen’s time? Has the Sheriff Joe objection to signing the MOA (he did sign didnt he?) gotten people stirred up over this issue?

    Any idea? Will the BOCS meeting be overrun with citizens speaking for it or against it?

  9. GainesvilleResident

    Moon-howler :
    GR, re: software. We upgraded and it wasn’t all a good thing. The counters are off for sure. Stay tuned.

    OK, that explains it. Sounds like a typical software upgrade….

  10. Moon-howler

    GR, it has made me want to take a chain saw to my wrists. We are limping along, to say the very least.

  11. IVAN

    It would appear that the main purpose of this new policy is to prevent “workplace” raids by local jurisdictions.

  12. Witness Too

    @Moon-howler
    M-H, did you manage to watch Citizen’s Time. I am not able to see Ch. 23 at work. Did Greg’s faithful cheerleaders do his bidding? Toward what end? It’s confusing when no one is drawing a line in the sand, but I certainly like it a lot better. Wonder why the sudden change in electoral strategy. We do have an election coming up soon, don’t we?

  13. Moon-howler

    Witness, yes and no. I watched part. I saw Greg protesting having to do away with the old and bring in the new. He named about 10 Hispanic criminals from our area. Other than Corey granting him 5 minutes to speak instead of the usual 3. (I thought he told Elena he didn’t do that any more.)

    Teresa M was there grousing about traffic lights being the same color at the same time. She also opposed 8A companies and spoke about non-Americans getting special priviledges (I think).

    Our own Greg Reynolds was there pitching for wiser spending on the part of the county, especially as it relates to transportation services for seniors to the senior centers.

    Someone else whose name I don’t recall complained about Deadman’s Curve on the Parkway. He is correct. He also needed to throw in about the road’s names. Parkway/Dumfries Rd/by-pass. Hard to know where you really are.

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