On Tuesday, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) is expected to vote on appointments to the regional Jail Board, which oversees the 287(g) policy, a controversial program that was established in 2007 by former BOCS Chair Corey Stewart.

According to the ACLU, “The 287(g) program deputizes local police officers to act as federal immigration agents in order to coopt local resources in doing ICE’s work with little training and complete liability if anything goes wrong. In the past, the 287(g) program has been costly for localities, has not focused on serious criminals, and it has led to illegal racial profiling and civil rights abuses while diverting scarce resources from traditional local law enforcement functions and distorting immigration enforcement priorities.”

The 287(g) program is the same program that Joe Arpaio, former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz. used to harass and terrorize the Latinx community.

There is no data that suggests 287(g) programs make a community safer. Several studies suggest that such programs create a larger divide between law enforcement and the public, especially communities of color. Additionally surveys have concluded that these programs actually discourage people from reporting crimes in their community and make the community less safe.

“The 287(g) program has proven that it does not make us safer, harms already marginalized communities, and is an unwise use of our critically low financial and human resources,” said Qasim Rashid, a candidate for Congress in Virginia’s First District. “For these reasons and more we implore a repeal of this discriminatory, ineffective, and destructive policy, and instead promote a criminal justice policy that actually keeps our communities safe and secure.”

The BOCS will vote on which candidates to appoint to the Jail Board at their regularly scheduled 2 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2020.