THE NATION - Ban could deny illegal immigrants services - A resolution passed in Virginia would bar them from many government benefits and expand enforcement. It would be the toughest in the nation.

Using a municipal swimming pool or checking out a library book could soon be against the law for illegal immigrants living in Prince William County, Va.

The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution this week that aims to ban illegal immigrants from receiving most government-funded services, as well as increase enforcement of immigration laws at a local level.

The resolution, if it withstands legal challenges, would be among the toughest of a growing number of resolutions in the country seeking to deter illegal immigration.

The issue has been “simmering for the past couple years, and it’s come to the forefront now because of the federal failure to really address the immigration issue and because of the public outcry of our constituents,” Supervisor John T. Stirrup Jr said.

The resolution was introduced by Stirrup and was a weakened version of the one he originally sought. The initial version asked that all public services be denied to illegal immigrants.

The county attorney warned that federal law prohibited excluding illegal immigrants from receiving some government services, such as emergency medical care.

The new resolution asks all county agencies to report back later this year with lists of services that can be denied, can’t be denied and those that are at the discretion of officials. It also directs the Police Department to determine the immigration status of individuals who are legally detained when there is probable cause for such a check, and to come up with a standard for determining probable cause.

The original resolution would have required officers to verify immigration status even on traffic stops.

With the latest effort to rewrite federal immigration laws failing recently in the Senate, municipal and county governments are becoming impatient and increasingly are addressing the issue at the local level, said Kathleen Walker, national president of the American Immigration Lawyers Assn. But, she added, few have gone as far as Prince William County.

“They are seeking to root out any possible benefit they might be able to cut off from someone, no matter what their age, because they are not here on a documented status,” she said.

“The cruelty of this is just astounding.”

But Stirrup, whose resolution said illegal immigration causes “economic hardship and lawlessness” in his community, has stoutly defended the measure as “the first step toward taking back our community.”

Prince William County, with a population estimated at 280,000 in the 2000 census, is about 30 miles west of Washington. Its main city is Manassas; the area was the site of the bloody Civil War battles of Bull Run.

Walker said several chapters of the immigration lawyers group were reviewing the resolution and would closely monitor the ordinances that could result after the county agencies report back to the board. These reviews could then result in legal challenges.

The resolution spawned a passionate debate. More than 100 people testified on the measure before it was passed Tuesday.

“It’s going to mean a lot of fear; the resolution is already having a tremendous impact on the community,” said Teresita Jacinto, a volunteer organizer for the Woodbridge Workers Committee, a group that formed to offer support to the area’s growing immigrant community.

“People are considering pulling their children out from school,” Jacinto said. “Several people have called me to ask if their children are safe by being in school, asking can I guarantee that no one is going to take them away.”

Defenders of the resolution included members of a group named Help Save Manassas.

One member, Sue Fleming, was quoted by the Washington Post as telling the board during Tuesday’s debate: “If we turn our heads and permit illegal entry into our county

Officials from other Virginia counties said they were waiting to see whether a legal challenge would be brought before deciding whether to launch similar measures.

The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 250,000 illegal immigrants live in Virginia, up from about 50,000 in 1996.

 claudia.lauer@latimes.com