Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart defended the county’s crackdown on illegal immigration as “the right thing to do” and hinted at a potential run for statewide office.
Stewart, speaking on WTOP’s “The Politics Program” with Mark Plotkin, said the county’s illegal immigration policy is “not about being anti-immigrant — it’s about targeting illegal immigrants who are here, committing crimes.”
The Republican chairman did not mince words when asked if he would like to have no illegal immigrants in the county, and if that was the county policy.
“If I could do that, I would, absolutely, but that’s not the policy,” he said. “The policy is aimed primarily at illegal immigrants who commit crimes, and that’s all we can do, frankly.
“But as a matter of principle, if you’re an illegal resident of the United States, you should [either] become legal or leave the country,” he continued. “That’s my own personal feeling on it.”
Stewart spoke days after the University of Virginia’s Center for Research Studies released an interim report on the county’s immigration policy. The crackdown has had mixed effects on crime and quality-of-life issues in the county, the report said.
In response to a question about whether the policy targets certain people, Stewart said, “We just don’t do that, and the policy, and the training that has been given to our police is very clear about that,” adding that such targeting is “illegal and unethical.”
The chairman, whose wife is a Swedish immigrant, also said that they moved from Fairfax a decade ago partly because Prince William had greater diversity.
Stewart also briefly touched on his political aspirations, saying he would like to run for statewide office someday. He announced his campaign for lieutenant governor in February 2008, but withdrew from the race when current Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling announced that he would run for re-election.
A caller from Baltimore asked how Stewart would fare in a statewide race, since some Hispanics have developed a negative perception of the county.
“We’ll, I’ve got to do what’s right,” Stewart answered. “If I lose an election because of it, so be it, but I’m going to look myself in the mirror and smile.”
