Alfonso Lopez | ARLnow.com

Del. Lopez ‘incredibly grateful’ as protections for Salvadoran immigrants hold fast

Published September 11, 2026 at 3:45PM

FILE - President Donald Trump greets El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, left, at the Shield of the Americas Summit, March 7, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Silence from the Trump administration on protections for immigrants from El Salvador has at least one Northern Virginia lawmaker breathing a sigh of relief.

A deadline to decide whether over 170,000 immigrants from El Salvador can remain protected from deportation passed this week without any public announcement. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying it would make an announcement “at an appropriate time” and that Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador would stay in effect until then.

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Environmental group honors Del. Lopez for work on ‘forever chemicals’

By Scott McCaffrey

Published September 4, 2026 at 1:45PM

Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-3 (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters saluted Del. Alfonso Lopez this week for his legislative work on water quality this year.

Lopez (D-3) was honored alongside Sen. Richard Stuart, a Westmoreland County Republican, on Sept. 1 for joint efforts on legislation requiring testing for PFAS on biosolids applied to farmland.

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From paid leave to gun legislation, here’s what changes in Virginia on July 1

By Emily Leayman

Published June 29, 2026 at 4:45PM

Del. Adele McClure, D-2, at 2026 Juneteenth celebration (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

More than 1,100 bills have come out of the latest General Assembly session, and many take effect on July 1.

As Democrats gained a trifecta with the election of Gov. Abigail Spanberger and control of the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, legislators passed bills focused on immigration enforcement, gun control, housing and tenant protections, reproductive rights and more. Democrats also passed Virginia’s first-ever paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave, and child care assistance programs for workers.

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DOJ challenges Virginia laws restricting officer face coverings, ICE agreements

By Emily Leayman

Published June 17, 2026 at 9:15AM

Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (staff photo)

The Trump administration’s Justice Department is challenging several state laws passed by Virginia Democrats targeting the work of federal immigration enforcement officers.

The complaint, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia’s Richmond Division, challenges state laws that seek to ban federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks and restrict 287(g) agreements between federal immigration enforcement and state and local law enforcement agencies.

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Dominion Energy’s merger plan sharpens affordability questions for N. Va. lawmakers

By Dan Egitto

Published May 27, 2026 at 3:45PM

Dominion Energy truck (staff photo)

A proposed merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy raises new possibilities and further questions in the race to match Virginia’s booming energy demand.

NextEra, which seeks to create the world’s largest regulated electric utility business through the $67 billion acquisition, has framed the plan as a path toward reducing energy costs in an era of rising need, driven in part by the construction of new data centers to power AI.

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Spanberger proposes final edits to immigration enforcement bill from Del. Lopez

By Emily Leayman

Published April 15, 2026 at 10:00AM

Del. Alfonso Lopez 2025 campaign kickoff (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A bill from Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) seeking to limit law enforcement collaboration with federal immigration enforcement has received minor adjustments from Gov. Abigail Spanberger.

Lopez’s HB 1441, and companion bill SB 783, ban state and local law enforcement agreements with federal immigration enforcement and limit when state and local law enforcement can cooperate.

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Governor signs Arlington legislators’ bills on elections, eviction prevention, tourism districts

By Emily Leayman

Published April 10, 2026 at 1:45PM

Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Patrick Hope and Adele McClure (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Numerous pieces of legislation from Arlington lawmakers are officially set to become law following final approval from Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D).

Among the approximately 1,200 bills passed out of the 2026 session, legislation on elections, eviction prevention, tourism improvement districts and the minimum wage all came by way of state senators and delegates representing Arlington. Most signed bills will take effect on July 1, 2026, unless otherwise specified.

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Arlington legislators’ bills on oversight, affordable housing and more enter home stretch

By Scott McCaffrey

Published February 20, 2026 at 8:30AM | Updated February 20, 2026 at 9:21AM

Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Patrick Hope and Adele McClure (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington’s five-member legislative delegation heads into the General Assembly’s home stretch with a large number of its bills still alive.

Among the most successful was Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), who got 21 pieces of legislation through the House of Delegates before crossover, the period when bills move to the opposite house for consideration.

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Del. Lopez introduces bills to limit immigration enforcement at polling places and schools

By Emily Leayman

Published January 29, 2026 at 10:00AM

Del. Alfonso Lopez 2025 campaign kickoff (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) is proposing several pieces of legislation to place restrictions on federal immigration enforcement in Virginia, including at sensitive locations like schools and polling places.

One bill introduced by Lopez would prohibit federal immigration enforcement within 40 feet of polling places, as well as near local electoral board locations to certify or recount election results. Activities like loitering and handing political materials are already restricted within 40 feet of polling places, but immigration enforcement is not explicitly mentioned under current Virginia law.

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Arlington residents press lawmakers on Medicaid funding, affordable housing policy

By Jared Serre

Published December 17, 2025 at 10:00AM

Members of Arlington's state delegation listen to residents on Dec. 11 (photo via Arlington County Board)

Funding for Medicaid in Virginia and affordable housing on church-owned property were among Arlington residents’ priorities for state lawmakers at a meeting last week.

The pre-legislative meeting with Sens. Barbara Favola and Adam Ebbin, and Dels. Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and Adele McClure, came ahead of the Virginia General Assembly session scheduled to begin on Jan. 14. Other topics of discussion ranged from expanding ranked-choice voting to an age verification law for pornography sites.

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Arlington’s state delegates hope to get more done in 2026 after Democratic wins

By Scott McCaffrey

Published November 24, 2025 at 3:45PM

Del. Alfonso Lopez and Del. Adele McClure at a recent County Board work session (via Arlington County)

Arlington’s state delegates aim to use a stronger majority and a new Democratic governor to push through legislation that had previously stalled.

Dels. Patrick Hope (D-1), Adele McClure (D-2) and Alfonso Lopez (D-3) all plan to return to past legislative priorities, resubmitting some bills and advancing new ones.

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Arlington Democrats hold up local and statewide wins as rebuke of Trump

By Dan Egitto and Scott McCaffrey

Published November 5, 2025 at 10:00AM | Updated November 5, 2025 at 10:18AM

County Board Chair Takis Karantonis addresses supporters following his reelection on Tuesday, Nov. 4 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Arlington Democrats celebrated big wins at both the local and state level yesterday (Tuesday), connecting voters’ decisions to the Trump administration’s impacts on Virginia.

In speeches before a jubilant crowd at Fire Works Pizza in Courthouse, several victors in Arlington’s blue sweep lifted up the success of gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and other Democrats in statewide races on Election Day.