Prince William County files suit over illegal immigrants (WJLA-DC)

Prince William County files suit over illegal immigrants

By Ben Eisler
August 4, 2011 - 11:07 pm

A showdown is looming over immigration in relation to the drunk driving death of a nun.

On Thursday, Prince William County filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security stemming from concerns that the government is releasing dangerous illegal immigrants back into the community.

"We want to know whether these individuals who are dangerous and pose a public safety threat are back in our community or whether they have been deported," Corey Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, said.

Last year, county police charged Carlos Montano, an illegal immigrant, with killing a nun while driving drunk.

When authorities turned him over to federal officials, however, they released him instead of deporting him.

The county is suing DHS for information on the 4,000 people they have turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Stewart says all of them have committed crimes and pose a safety threat.

But activist Elena Schlossberg says the majority of those arrested only committed misdemeanors, like traffic violations, and pose no public safety threat.

She says that DHS can only afford to deport those illegal immigrants who constitute a threat.

Stewart says that if DHS has nothing to hide, they should release the pertinent information.