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Virginia: Arlington allocates $50,000 in aid to families whose primary provider has been detained by ICE

The county board has decided not to require families to prove that their relative was deported or to submit formal employment records, a condition that broadens access but has also fueled political debate surrounding the initiative.

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Carlos Dominguez
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Carlos Dominguez

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2 minutes read

Arlington County, in Virginia, has approved an emergency fund of $50,000 to provide up to $2,000 per family to households whose primary breadwinner, even if they are in the country illegally, has been detained by federal immigration authorities (ICE).

The measure, reported by local newspaper ARLnow, was approved 4-0 at a special County Board session last Wednesday. It aims to cover basic needs such as housing, food and utilities over the next 10 months.

"We stand with our immigrant families, and we will not stop doing so," said Board Chair Matt de Ferranti. "We are valuing the families of those that have been displaced and removed."

Decision and scope of the program

The program is implemented through a grant agreement with Arlington Thrive, the local nonprofit social safety net organization, which will distribute the funds in the form of checks or debit cards depending on each household's circumstances, including the option to explore alternatives if neither of those two options works.

The county board has decided not to require families to prove that their relative was deported or to submit formal employment records, a condition that broadens access but has also fueled political debate surrounding the initiative.

According to the council's board, it is estimated that between 25 and 30 families will be eligible to receive benefits from this limited fund. Elizabeth Matlock, from the county manager's office and coordinator of the initiative, indicated that the funds will be available shortly and that "Thrive is eager to get started with this project."

Ex-ICE chief says the fund may violate federal law

The initiative has drawn criticism from conservative circles and immigration experts, who warn of potential legal and public policy implications.

Jonathan Fahey, former acting ICE director and former federal prosecutor, said county leaders may be violating federal law.

According to a report by WJLA, Fahey cited the federal alien harboring statute, which prohibits inducing or encouraging illegal entry or residence, and warned: "They're going to induce more illegal aliens into Arlington County, which will also cost the taxpayers even more money."

Nearly 400 of the detainees had criminal charges or convictions

The approval came in response to an increase in operations in the Washington metropolitan area during August. The operations reportedly resulted in more than 1,300 arrests of undocumented migrants in two weeks, according to DHS.

As part of Operation Safe Community, ICE detained 1,328 undocumented individuals in Virginia and Maryland. Nearly 400 of them had criminal convictions or charges in the U.S., including sexual assault, kidnapping, murder and attempted murder, rape, drunk driving, hit-and-run, robbery and identity theft.

The operation, centered in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., but extended to both states, also included the arrest of members of transnational gangs such as MS-13, 18th Street and Tren de Aragua.

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