Dan Genz, The Examiner
2007-07-13 07:00:00.0
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Prince William County -

The showdown over illegal immigration in Prince William County this week has been a tour de force of rival civic groups in Northern Virginia trying to change local and federal laws to suit their agendas.

Groups marshaled advocates on both sides of a resolution designed to deny public services to illegal immigrants.

The County Board unanimously approved elements of the original proposal Tuesday and directed county staff to study how to put the rest into action.

Help Save Manassas has evolved from a few dozen residents angry illegal immigrants were jeopardizing their quality of life into a juggernaut of 500 members pushing the county to act on measures deemed among the toughest in the nation.

The group told supervisors they would no longer accept the notion that local government cannot enact tougher policies, said Supervisor John Stirrup, the proposal’s author. “Folks don’t care about that anymore, they want action.”

The organization was “indispensable,” Chairman Corey Stewart said, demonstrating the public was behind the plan.

“We got pretty much everything we wanted,” said Greg Letiecq, the group’s leader.

But their success led Hispanic organizations to respond. Alarmed that Latinos would be treated differently, longtime Prince William County residents worked with newcomers to create a large opposition presence through El Pueblo Unido and Mexicanos Sin Fronteras.

“I don’t see a white [county] employee asking a person with blue eyes and white skin for proof of residence,” said Ricardo Juarez, a leader for Mexicanos Sin Fronteras in Prince William County.

Opponents significantly outnumbered supporters during the Tuesday meeting in the county administration building.

Groups say they will continue to push their message as the county develops guidelines on how the resolution will be enforced.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com