Prince William County should not expect any state funding to help establish its illegal-immigration crackdown, incoming Virginia Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, said Tuesday.

Fearing that Prince William County’s plan will result in demands for expensive new jail space, Saslaw said the county should not expect the state to pick up the tab for a plan it created on its own.

“The state’s not giving them any money to build six or seven jails they’re going to need,” Saslaw told The Examiner. “They better be prepared to raise their tax rate to pay for this.”

Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart, a Republican, responded that leading Democrats do not realize the impact of illegal immigration on the quality of life in Virginia and that combating illegal immigration should merit state help.

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“It’s unfortunate that he doesn’t care about the public safety of residents of Prince William and localities all across the commonwealth who are dealing with the effects of illegal immigration,” Stewart said.

An influential Senate Democrat at a meeting of Prince William County’s delegation Tuesday night said he would try to support the program.

“The door isn’t closed,” said Sen. Chuck Colgan, D-Prince William. “I would hope we could get some money to help out.”

The county is preparing to spend $1 million each year for jail space to enforce the illegal-immigration crackdown and is seeking additional federal funds for the effort.

The county passed a plan last month allowing the police to initiate deportation proceedings against illegal immigrants questioned for traffic violations and misdemeanors. The illegal immigrants would be held until federal agents took custody of them.

Such a plan could result in a monumental increase in the jail population because the federal government has been slow to retrieve dangerous criminals in the past, Saslaw said.

“We have a hard enough time getting them to pick up someone for a felony,” Saslaw said, “You think they’re going to rush for someone who forgot to signal a left turn or was driving 40 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone?”

dgenz@dcexaminer.com