Prince William County Police Chief Charlie Deane is scheduled to give supervisors the first detailed update of the illegal immigration crackdown Tuesday as the community thirsts for more information about the new, high-profile enforcement policy.
Deane’s office was crunching the numbers Friday morning in order to provide the first detailed overview of how many people have had their legal status checked since the policy launched March 3.
Under the effort, officers may verify the U.S. residency status of a traffic violator or suspect in a minor crime when there is probable cause to think the person is an illegal immigrant.
An audience of apprehensive immigrants packed a Woodbridge information session Thursday night with Deane and the Mexican consul to learn more about the policy, but many left unsatisfied and anxious for more specifics.
“They are expecting too much,” said Hank Azais, a former member of the county’s human rights commission. “They want to know what would happen in this situation or that situation. You won’t know till you live it.”
A popular pastor tried to reassure the audience.
“Basically, the message from the police department is, if you don’t violate the laws, basically, you should be OK,” said Donald Planty, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Woodbridge and a police chaplain.
But afterward, a business owner compared the alarm in the Hispanic community to the fears five years ago when two snipers were on the loose in the D.C. area.
“I haven’t seen anything like it since the sniper,” said Doug Madison, who owns Mailbox Junction, where shipping orders are down 40 percent. “For the last 26 days, people are afraid to go out.”
