Arlington’s board has unanimously approved a plan to scale back the police department’s communication with federal immigration officers in the Northern Virginia suburb.
At a Tuesday afternoon meeting, leaders voted to make changes to the county’s Trust Policy. The tweak specifically which detailed instances in which Arlington police can inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement about an arrest.
The change comes as board members said people are becoming increasingly reluctant to call 911 when they need help.
that the policy reversal was expected to be approved.
“What the removal of Section 7 actually means is that we are not going to allow anymore that our law enforcement proactively contacts the federal government immigration authorities on any issue,” Board Chair Takis Karantonis said.
Under the previous policy, Arlington police were allowed to tell ICE about an arrest if it involved an undocumented person who has been identified as a gang member and is arrested for a violent felony or criminal street gang offense. They were also allowed to contact federal immigration officers if an undocumented person is arrested for a terrorism or human trafficking charge.
The policy also allowed officers to reach out to ICE if there are circumstances suggesting “notification to federal immigration authorities is prudent to maintain community safety.”
Under the updated policy, all of that has been removed, along with the portion describing the protocol for how to contact federal immigration officials.
“In recent weeks and recent months, we have seen a significant decrease of trust, especially for our immigrant community, to contact local law enforcement when it was really necessary,” Karantonis said. “That means we have seen a decrease in safety in our own community.”
Board member Maureen Coffey, meanwhile, criticized the national political landscape, explaining that “sending people to foreign prisons and claiming we have no way to get them back is not normal. Stating that due process isn’t required for immigration proceedings is not normal.”
“Our responsibility is public safety, and it does not keep our community safe to have people afraid to call 911 when they have an emergency,” Coffey said. “It does not keep our community safe to have people scared to ask Human Services for help that their family is entitled to.”
蜜桃视频app has contacted Arlington police and the White House for comment on the policy change.
The revision doesn’t prevent ICE from operating in Arlington, and Virginia law requires people in their detention facility to be entered into a database that ICE has access to.
“In short, the facts have changed, so our policies must change,” Vice Chair Matt de Ferranti said. “To be clear, Arlington must and will follow federal law.”
“Immigration enforcement remains at the federal level. It is not our job. We will not do it, and that has not changed from the first trust policy to this trust policy,” Board member Susan Cunningham said. “Trust is the foundation of our community.”
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