By Diane Burkley Alejandro: Starting July 1, Fairfax Sheriff Stacey Kincaid is taking another step toward non-cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As permitted by a new Virginia law, she says she will no longer collect citizenship and immigration status information for persons booked for misdemeanors.
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: After this year’s elections, Fairfax County may finally have a board of supervisors ready to stop voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has made our region a national leader in deportations. This would benefit not only immigrant families, but our community as a whole, as crime is statistically significantly lower in jurisdictions…
By Sharon Bulova: I read with shock and disappointment the Nov. 29 report by Ms. Diane Burkley Alejandro, Special Report: Local police may be helping ICE make Fairfax a national leader in immigrant detention. This report uses data to draw a number of false or misleading conclusions meant to stoke fear in a community already under immense pressure from the…
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: There is a family separation crisis right here in Fairfax County. The nation was rightfully shocked when 2,600 children were separated from migrant families crossing the border. Why then isn’t the Fairfax Board of Supervisors incensed that 12,037 Fairfax immigrant families have been torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—and that Fairfax law enforcement, working…
By Karen Keys-Gamarra: No parent should ever have to fear that sending a child to school is risking immigration enforcement. In fact, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency better known as ICE, has no place in Fairfax County public schools. This view is reflected in the revised agreement between the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) and the Fairfax County…
By Diane Burkley Alejandro: Under the Trump Administration, detention for suspected immigration violations has increased dramatically – not just nationally but right here in Fairfax County. Most deportations are due to Fairfax County law enforcement’s initial detention of these individuals on local charges, mostly for minor offenses. Fortunately, local law enforcement can limit the damage to immigrants by ending its…