Prince William County residents packed the Board of Supervisors chambers Tuesday night to petition the supervisors over their appointment of a vocal immigration critic to a county panel.
The petition, presented by Haymarket resident Elena Schlossberg, has garnered more than 70 signatures and calls for supervisors to explain individually the reasoning behind their vote naming Robert Duecaster, an officer in the anti-immigrant group Help Save Manassas, to the county’s Human Services task force.
The petition also asks the eight supervisors to make a statement “to express [their] appreciation of people of Hispanic heritage in this community,” since they approved Duecaster’s appointment on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Supervisor John Stirrup, R-Gainesville, appointed Duecaster, the secretary of Help Save Manassas, to the county task force last week, which the board approved 5-3.
Chairman Corey Stewart, R-at large, said Wednesday the board has made itself clear on the issue.
“[Illegal immigration] is a settled, done deal, and we are moving on to dealing with other problems,” he said. “I’m not planning a response whatsoever.”
Wally Covington, R-Brentsville, who supported the appointment, released a statement on the matter earlier Tuesday.
“I am very disquieted over the recent public discourse over whether or not a citizen is qualified to serve as an appointee of this body on behalf of Prince William County based solely upon a transcript of words, whether written or spoken,” he wrote.
Duecaster’s appointment prompted many county residents to show up for Tuesday night’s “citizen’s time” to both support and oppose the move. Before the meeting, Stewart limited the time to 30 minutes because so many had shown up to speak.
Robb Pearson, a former anti-illegal immigrant advocate from Reading, Pa., drove more than three hours to speak before the board.
“What’s going on in Prince William County is being noticed outside the county,” he said. “They’re going to draw conclusions that Prince William is racist.”
Pearson had organized an anti-illegal immigrant rally in Morristown, N.J., in July 2007. He has since changed his stance and currently supports amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the country.
Donna Widawski of Gainesville pointed out that she was not a member of Help Save Manassas, but that the group’s members serve on neighborhood crime watches and report zoning, overcrowding and health code violations to local officials.
Several other speakers also pointed out that the group has had a positive effect on the community.
“It has become open season to attack those citizens who support the [county’s crackdown on illegal immigration],” she said, calling the group’s members “well-meaning citizens who have been vilified by hate blogs.”
