Join Club

BREAKING NEWS — County Board Votes to Withdraw from Immigration Enforcement Program

The Arlington County board voted Tuesday afternoon to become the first community in Virginia — and one of the only communities in the country — to withdraw from the federal Secure Communities immigration enforcement program.

Following an impassioned presentation by board member Walter Tejada, and without further discussion, the board voted 5-0 to direct County Manager Michael Brown to formally notify Virginia State Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of Arlington’s intention to withdraw from the program, which Virginia implemented statewide earlier this year.

“This is something that was imposed on Arlington County and other jurisdictions,” Tejada said. “They didn’t ask our opinion, there was no public process.”

“Arlington county remains firmly committed to the protection of civil rights and civil liberties for all people,” Tejada added, saying actions by the state government have created “an anti-immigrant sentiment, regretfully.”

“We’ve had a pattern of measures that seek to score cheap political points on the backs of working immigrants,” he said.

Tejada said Arlington County law enforcement would maintain its current policy of only reporting undocumented immigrants directly to federal authorities in the event of serious crimes. He argued that the Secure Communities program is actually a hinderance to police.

“There are concerns among Arlington County law enforcement and our residents that the Secure Communities initiative will create divisions in our community, and promote a cultural fear and distrust of law enforcement that threatens communities and makes communities less safe,” Tejada said, reading from the text of the resolution.

The resolution also calls on the U.S. Congress to “enact meaningful and comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants.

A crowd that included at least a dozen immigration rights advocates rose to their feet and cheered after the vote. Many hugged and some whistled and threw their hands in the air.

In a joint statement following the vote, Arlington Sheriff Beth Arthur and Police Chief Douglas Scott said that the resolution will not change the way their respective departments enforce the law.

“Our goal remains unchanged – we are here to keep this community safe,” the statement reads. “And to do so, we must rely on strong partnerships and relationships with everyone in our community. We want to make sure that all people – regardless of their country of origin – continue to report crimes and do not fear interacting with Arlington County law enforcement.”

Update at 10:25 p.m. — The county has posted a text of the resolution here.

Recent Stories

A 4 BD/3.5 B home with floor-to-ceiling windows and stone accent fireplace is included in Just Reduced.

Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar. 🕗 News recap The following articles were published earlier today…

New Addison Heights Home by National Landing Attractions!

A 19-year-old man and a teen boy are facing charges after two girls overdosed at Wakefield High School last week. Police and medics responded to the school just before 11:45…

The Arlington Sports Hall of Fame is extremely pleased to announce that our 2023 Annual Induction Dinner, again in partnership with the Better Sports Club of Arlington, will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at the Knights of Columbus, located at 5115 Little Falls Road, Arlington, Va.

Our dinner will pay tribute to all the honored members of the Hall of Fame and will induct the following six new Class of 2023 inductees, joining the 62 athletes, coaches and contributors who have been inducted into ASHOF since its founding in 1958:

Noel Deskins (Yorktown Class of ’79): Track & Field record-holder & Athlete of the Year at YHS and JMU

Eric Metcalf (O’Connell Class of ’85): Star NFL running back, football and track & field record-holder and Hall of Famer at both O’Connell and the University of Texas

Read More

Submit your own Announcement here.

National Chamber Ensemble – Diva’s Night Out with Schubert, Strauss…

Opening night in Ballston, thanks to a partnership with Marymount University will feature renowned soprano Sharon Christman singing songs of Franz Schubert, Leonard Bernstein, Fanny Mendelssohn, Richard Strauss and some thrilling instrumental music.

But that’s not all! Get ready to

50 First Dates x The Renegade: Speed Dating

🌟 Calling all adventurous hearts! 🌟

💑 Get ready for an evening of excitement and connection as we present Speed Dating Night at The Renegade in Arlington, VA! 🌆

📅 Mark your calendars for Oct 20th, from 6-9 pm, because

×

Subscribe to our mailing list