Photo by qbubbles.

The practice of checking the immigration status of arrested individuals is controversial. But the leaders of a county in Virginia which has done it for years now thinks the entire commonwealth should follow suit.

The Post reports that members of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to encourage Virginia to adopt immigration-related policies it has had on the books since 2007, allowing police officers to check immigration status during arrests.

The practice has led to an exodus of Hispanic residents from the county, and a report by county police in late 2010 found that the enhanced police powers had led to a “palpable chill” in relations between the Hispanic community and police. Additionally, it said, the new policy had “not affected most types of crime in Prince William County.”

Obviously, places like Arlington County would likely put up a big fight to the measure being adopted statewide. In late 2010, the county said it was opting out of Secure Communities, an information-sharing program with the federal government allowing illegal immigrants to be more easily identified, detained and deported.

Corey Stewart, the board’s chairman and main proponent of the police practice, recently called a plan by the District to ban immigration inquiries during routine stop and operations an “abomination.”