Prince William County Police Chief Charlie Deane is launching a public information campaign detailing the new policy of checking the legal status of anyone suspected of being an illegal resident when arrested for a crime.
Deane met with a group of Hispanic business leaders Monday in Woodbridge and is set to address the anti-illegal-immigrant organization Help Save Manassas on Thursday.
“We deal with immigration in terms of policy,” Deane said. “We need to have a strong public education program.”
Even before the County Board votes on a proposal enabling the chief to begin a $14 million five-year plan to increase the scrutiny of legal status, Deane is trying to explain the particulars of the policy to both sides.
“I think he’s very smart to do it, because people need to hear directly from him,” said Mauricio Vivero, executive director of the Ayuda Business Council, who met with the chief Monday. “We asked a lot of questions about the potential for racial profiling and how to train officers.”
Implementing a new immigration policy is complicated, and it will take a comprehensive effort to educate the public and receive feedback, Deane said.
“It falls within what we’re trying to do, which is to continue to explain where we are with the issue and what factors, what issues are involved,” he said. “I’m convinced what we established as a policy is lawful, but I want ideas to help make it fair and reasonable.”
The chief’s presence is a draw for any group that has been following the issue because many residents want specifics on how it will be enforced, said Greg Letiecq, president of Help Save Manassas.
“He’s got a very complex outreach and education effort here and I really am pleased that one of the first places they are going to do this outreach is our group,” he said. “There are a lot of people who are very concerned about this issue and need to hear from him.”
