Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Jack W. Turner
In 2007, a conflict over immigration law in Prince William County, Virginia rose
out of public reaction to the county board’s enactment of a new policy that called for
local police to enforce immigration procedures that usually are handled by federal
immigration agencies. The new procedure empowered the Prince William County Police
Department force to ask for, and verify, the immigration status of any individuals they
suspected of being illegal immigrants. County board officials called the new policy a
necessary action because their constituents demanded it, and because Congress had failed
to reform federal immigration laws that would have given protection against illegal
This analysis of the Prince William County immigration conflict has four goals:
1) Identify the main parties in the conflict and their interests; 2) identify underlying root
causes of the conflict; 3) evaluate the interests served and benefits of the conflict; 4) and
to offer a basic plan for a conflict resolution involving both sides. Aspects of Wehr’s
mapping model (1979) are used to position the parties involved, their interests, and their
fears. Evidence from conflicting parties public discourse and actions, along with
comparative demographic and economic data, provides evidence for underlying causes of
the conflict. Finally, the analysis offers a social construction process for changing
negative perceptions and bringing the divergent interests of both sides closer together
(Gray, 1997).
IMMIGRATION CONFLICT IN PRINCE WILLIAM 4
Background
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on July 10,
2007, making the Prince William County Police Department responsible for illegal
immigration enforcement. They were given official power to verify the immigration
status of any individuals they suspected of being in the country illegally. On April 29,
2008, the Prince William Board of County Supervisors softened police procedures by
making it mandatory to verify immigration status only for individuals actually arrested. It
is noted in public Prince William County Police Department documents that police
officers still have the discretion (author’s emphasis) to verify immigration status under
According to Washington Post reporter Nick Miroff, the Prince William County
Board of Supervisors’ hearing before the vote on the new immigration policy drew
the most people a hearing ever had in Prince William County history. Miroff
reported that a very heated, emotional dialogue occurred, and that many legal
immigrants were afraid of what would happen to them if the resolution passed.
Accusations of racism, elitism, and xenophobia flew from one side of the argument,
while claims that illegal immigrants abused weak immigration laws, increased
violent crime, and used county services they did not pay for flew from the other side
(Miroff, 2007a).
Since the new policy was voted in, the national economy declined, Prince William
County has had the highest foreclosure rate in Virginia (Gharib, 2008), and, from
anecdotal evidence, thousands of Hispanics left Prince William County (Mack, 2009).
Hispanic and African-Americans surveyed about the Prince William County Police
Department voiced their dissatisfaction, and Police Chief Deane attributed this reaction to
the new immigration policy. Finally, in an interview a year and half after the controversy
began, Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors Corey Stewart
openly admitted that the immigration vote was more about stirring up strong emotions
A few facts help focus the reality of illegal immigrants and their economic effect
on Prince William County. First of all, overall unemployment in Prince William County
has been one of the lowest in the nation since 1990, even during the current economic
downturn. Prince William County and Fairfax County, which bears demographic
similarities to Prince William County, both have annual unemployment rates that are
consistently lower by one to two percent than the state of Virginia’s average ,and often
four percent lower than the U. S. average (see Fig. 1, Appendix B, p.24). Meanwhile,
median household incomes in Fairfax County and Prince William County during 2008
ranked number two and number sixteen in the nation respectively (see Table 6, Appendix
B, p.24). If illegal immigrants are taking jobs from legal residents of Prince William
County, it is hard for this researcher to find data that proves it.
As for crime and illegal immigrants, it is hard to ignore Butcher and Piehl’s
research comparing American men and immigrants when it comes to criminal activity.
born men. Further, they also studied crime rates from several
municipalities and found that crimes rates, especially violent crimes,
Giving some corollary support to the California study are reports from the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in North Carolina and from the Frederick
County, Maryland Sheriff’s Department. The ACLU reports that in Gaston County, North
laws have been arrested for simple traffic violations (Weissman, Ivey, Headen, & Parker,
2009). In Frederick County, Maryland, officers trained for immigration duty have
arrested 285 foreigners in ten months, 262 for misdemeanors like driving without a
license and traffic offenses (92 percent). Only five of the immigrants arrested in
The power players in the, Prince William County immigration conflict are the
and Corey Stewart, chairman of the supervisor’s board. The resolution was Stirrup’s idea,
and Stewart helped him implement it. The seven other supervisors appear to have gone
along, by all reports. Next in line is Police chief Deane, who answers to the board. Last in
the line of influence is the community of native – born Whites, who are reported to have
demanded some action on illegal immigrants by the county board of supervisors (Miroff,
2007a & b). Local citizens hold significant power when their interests converge and they
can cooperate together in a large, active group: Board members and the police have
Prince William County and they have no policing powers, advocates for a flexible
immigration policy more favorable to undocumented workers are the weaker side of the
conflict. They do have some political and financial resources and can argue in county
government and state legislatures for more rights for immigrant workers (Martin &
Johnson, 2007). Weakest of all are the illegal immigrants themselves, who have no legal
rights unless they are able to hide their illegality. Some of the legal and activist groups
advocating for immigrants in Virginia and Prince William County are the American
Nick Miroff says thousands of undocumented migrants from Mexico and Central
America have moved to Prince William between 1997 and 2007, encouraged by
affordable housing and a boom in construction jobs (2007b). The Hispanic population in
PWC was already increasing in 1990 and had more than quadrupled by 2007.The
African-American population had almost doubled in the same time frame (see Table 3,
Appendix A). When the discourse from advocates of strict immigration laws is analyzed
alongside population data, a picture of lost territory and threatened culture comes into
view (see Table 1, p.8-9). Native–born Whites in PWC appear to have felt a threat to
their cultural values and social identity (Burton, 2009) (Tajfel, Billig, Bundy &
Flament,1971).
The threat to their cultural and societal security gave the dominant White
population something to fear and get angry about, and it appears that local politicians
took advantage of the situation for political gain and power (Mack, 2009) . Stirrup made
immflamatory remarks such as calling illegal immigrants a drain on county services that
they did not pay taxes to support, and indicating that he would keep illegal immigrant’s
children out of public schools if he could. The education remark is particularly striking
since the question was settled in 1982 by the Supreme Court: all children go to school in
the United States, no matter who their parents may be (Miroff, 2007 b).
Social identity and cultural identity are said by Burton to be needs which human
beings must have to live, and that people are willing to suffer much in order to maintain
or gain these needs (1993).When the non-White population began increasing in Prince
William County in the 1990’s, and then increased by six-fold from roughly 1997 to 2007,
local native-born felt threatened and uneasy. You can hear it in their discourse (see Table
1). Statements like "I'm tired of pressing ‘1’ for English" on the phone” and “If we don’t
act on illegals, we are saying our language, our culture, our Constitution, our
neighborhoods and our flag are inconsequential. It is a price I do not care to pay," clearly
indicate threat, fear, and anger(Miroff, 2007a) regarding the “Other” (Tajfel, Billig,
On the immigrant side of the conflict, the discourse is also angry and fearful.
Statements such as : "How are we supposed to survive here?" and Your house will be like
a prison. People will be dying of fear (Miroff, 2007 a & b)" clearly indicate a perceived
threat, fear, and anger as well. Pruitt and Kim labeled this a contentious conflict, both
sides trying for some advantage to protect their interests and gain power (Pruitt & Kim ,
2004a).
Prince William County, it is clear that native-born Whites and others who have settled
have lived comfortably for some time. It is understandable that a threat to this well-being
William County who have the power to create fear in any immigrants who may challenge
Another aspect of this conflict is the perspective on injustice from each side.
Deutsch named several types of perceived injustice, and the types predominant in the
injustice, retributive injustice, and a sense of injustice. Prince William natives think the
distribution of jobs, property, and cultural and social spaces, are being taken away by
immigrants. Natives morally exclude immigrants when they state that the county is not
responsible for immigrant children’s education or medical services. They seek retribution
for their sense of injustice by making restrictive immigration laws to keep the illegal
Hispanic immigrants have many of the same perceptions and feelings. Why
shouldn’t they get a job if there are plenty to go around? The immigration laws keep good
workers away while not enough Americans want to work the hard jobs. Why shouldn’t
their children be able to go to school? A definite sense of injustice, anger, and fear of
retribution is voiced on the immigrant side of the issue (Deutsch, 2006)(see Table 1).
Table 1.
b. "If they're here illegally, we have no Harry Wiggins, a Lake Ridge resident:
responsibility to educate them". 2 "Prince William County does not have to
become the racist capital of America." 1
c. Stirrup was berated for a joke he made
to Corey Stewart in which Stirrup suggested Millie, moved to Prince William 14
a "Hispanic flag" could be flown in years and stayed illegally: "I don't know
Woodbridge, which has a large Hispanic how people will live in this country. Your
community. 1 house will be like a prison. People will be
dying of fear." 2
Sue Fleming, a member of the group
Help Save Manassas: “If we don’t act on Kathleen Walker, president of the
illegals, we are saying our language, our American Immigration Lawyers
culture, our Constitution, our Association: Denying immigrant children
neighborhoods and our flag are entry into public schools would violate the
inconsequential. It is a price I do not care to 1982 Supreme Court decision Plyler v.
pay." 1 Doe, which prohibits states from denying
education to undocumented immigrants”.2
Chris King, Woodbridge resident: "I'm
tired of pressing ‘1’ for English" on the
phone. 1 Tulio Diaz, a native of Puerto Rico who
has lived in PWC since 1972:"It's an
Kris Kobach, a law professor and former election year, and it's a great wedge issue,"
immigration adviser to U.S. Attorney he said. "So who do you pick on?" 2
General John D. Ashcroft: The resolution is
not "extraordinary." 2
John Stirrup, PWC District Supervisor: Ben Johnson, executive director for the
“These people, being in the United States American Immigration Law
illegally are, in fact, criminals.” 4 Foundation: almost all public benefits in
the United States already.”4
Sources:1 Miroff, N.;(2007a); 2 Miroff, N. (2007 b) 3 Mack, K.( 2009);4 Martin, M. & Johnson, B. (2007).
Ironically, it was apparently the failing economy that has brought some of the
anti-immigrant fervor to a quiet murmur for a while. In the public discourse of Corey
Stewart and others on both sides of the issue, there seems to be agreement that the county
board of supervisors acted too vigorously. When Stewart says, “The debate about illegal
immigration is over,” it is a little hard to understand after the time, energy, and resources
it took to get the policy implemented in the first place(see Table 2 below).
Table 2.
Discourse of Advocates for Strict Discourse of Advocates for Flexible
Immigration Policy in PCW Immigration Policy in PCW
2009 2009
This conflict is based on significant identity issues and could easily flare up again,
immigrants more into Prince William’s native-born population while at the same time the
local citizens gain some appreciation for their new neighbors. Dave Gorak, Executive
Director of the Midwest Coalition to Reduce Immigration, gave his opinion on Mark
Fisher’s Washington Post website. He wrote,” Eleven million Americans cannot find full-
time jobs at the same time seven million illegals are permitted to remain in our work
force. I'd say that still makes illegal immigration a "big issue (2009).” Advocates for new
immigrants should not ignore Mr.Gorak’s opinion , but should respect it by continuing to
explore the most constructive ways to bring the immigrants out of conflict with local
citizenry.
Saunders stated that “public dialogues are important and effective for
narrow thinking such as stereotypes. Unofficial public discourse can also influence
Chief David M. Rohrer was honored for his continuing efforts to maintain close
advocacy group Ayuda, during their 35th anniversary celebration, honored Chief Rohrer
for his “sound and just policies to protect all residents of Fairfax County, including
vulnerable immigrant victims of crime. "I don't believe we should be involved in
As noted before, Prince William County and Fairfax County share similar
demographics. They are approximately the same size, 360 square miles and 395 square
Government, 2009) and have similar unemployment rates (see Fig. 1, Appendix B, p.
24).They also both enjoy higher than average median household incomes (see Table 6,
Appendix B, p. 24) and have significant immigrant populations (see Tables 3 & 4,
Appendix A, p. 22). Fairfax County is more of an inner suburb and has a population
about two and half times that of Prince William: So, even though Prince William has a
higher percentage of non-Whites, Fairfax County has higher numbers of non-whites due
to its density.
Prince William County experienced a significantly larger and more rapid rise in
Hispanic residents from 1997 to 2007 than Fairfax County. Prince William County
residents who felt threatened by immigrants may have been alarmed by the perception of
a non-native culture that seemed to be sweeping away their own American identity. It is
important to note that perceptions, not facts, are the basis for the emotional turmoil of the
way to start changing the “Us vs. Them” mentality that accompanies cultural and social
One place where Hispanics and other immigrants are being trusted, respected, and
depended upon in earnest right now is in the American military services. Miriam Kagan
has reported that while Hispanic soldiers account for nine and a half percent of active
enlisted forces, they make up seventeen and a half percent of frontline forces in Iraq.
Since George Bush signed an executive order on July 2, 2002, foreign-born individuals
have been able to apply for “fast-track” ´citizenship if they serve in the U.S. military
(2003). In 2008, the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services reported that it had
naturalized 41,00 members of the armed services since “the beginning of the War on
Terror”.
People who have served in the military, especially those who have endured
combat, have a natural affinity with one another across cultural barriers. This would seem
like a good starting point for creating trust and understanding between non-native citizens
and the dominant White culture in Prince William County. Using constructive
across cultures and social identities could begin with sharing war stories and be
their families, beliefs, and values (2006).Using constructive teaching methods suggested
by Gray, these veterans could create their own system of understanding each other and
the world around them. At some point they could begin the creation of their own groups’
The Prince William County Government lists nine veteran’s clubs or chapters
operating in the county by The American Legion, Veterans of foreign Wars, and Disabled
Forum, operates its national chapter in nearby Washington, DC. The American GI Forum
has over 60 years of experience advocating for Hispanic veterans and Hispanic
immigrants, and could be a significant factor in creating cross-cultural understanding in
20. The researcher recommends concentrating on the veteran’s affinity for establishing
trust and friendship first. There is no timeline attached to this activity: Veterans involved
should be facilitated in exploring their histories with each other until the sharing feels
This research applies to the Prince William County immigration conflict and may
not generalize well to other conflicts. The discourse data used to ascertain main parties to
the conflict and identify interests and perceived threat has not been collected by scientific
standards and is not quantifiable. It serves a qualitative purpose only, and is subjective
rigorous survey method would be quite useful for future study of this and other
immigration conflicts.
previous research by conflict and communication scholars, including Pruitt and Kim,
Deutsch, Burton, Fisher-Yoshida and Wasserman, and Gray. It has examined discourse
constructs created by the native-born White culture and Hispanic immigrant culture that
have perpetuated biased perceptions in both groups. Both groups in this conflict would
benefit from getting to know and understand each other in a non-hostile atmosphere.
cultural boundaries could begin from veterans groups and branch further into both White
natives and Hispanic communities through the public school system and other social
activities. An important part of this plan is for immigrants to understand and be aware of
their ability to instill fear into the dominant white population. This is perhaps an often
“divide and conquer”. Racism, “Us vs. Them” boundaries, xenophobia, and identity
politics appear to have been used solely for a political advantage by chairman Stewart –
immigrant and native peoples in Prince William County could have the added benefit of
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IMMIGRATION CONFLICT IN PRINCE WILLIAM 22
APPENDIX A
1. Begin with getting veterans together to share war stories, stories of military life,
and then personal family history. In the short term, this can provide an opening
for Hispanics and non-Hispanics and to build some trust and bonding already
respect, and concern for the the “Other,” culture. The ideal is that identities and
boundaries.
2. Long-time immigrants can work with new immigrants and help integrate them
into the local school system, where teachers will almost certainly appreciate the
without hatred and fear would be very beneficial for all immigrants. Are new
immigrants aware of the fear and anxiety their presence creates in the minds of
the dominant culture? Are they aware that in some ways this is a source of power?
Further, are they aware of the powerful changes they can exert when they break
may sound like a bit of popular reverse psychology, but it can also be a way to
frame relationships in a new light that eventually empowers both native and non-
enforcement. From Police Chief Rohrer’s experience, we can see that this kind of
5. Finally, new and longtime immigrants need help in understanding the strengths
and weaknesses of their various positions. Native-born Whites still hold the most
political and economic power in PWC, and learning how to work and prosper
Table 5. Race and Ethnicity by Number & Percentage of Total Population in 2007
Difference 458, 041 190, 231 21, 542 66, 208 139, 787
Difference 6.8% 6.8% 10.2% 5.6% 9.0%
.
Appendix B
Table 6. Median Household Income, Prince William & Fairfax County, Virginia, 2008.
Source: Median Household Income, Top 20 Counties in the United States, 2008.
http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibrary/PDF/10978.pdf
Fairfax Co.
Source for Fairfax County: Fairfax County Economic Indicators, June 2009.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/economic/economic_indicators.htm