Stay classy, Virginia!
The Arlington County Board has put aside $50,000 for families whose breadwinner has been detained or deported by ICE.
In other words, an illegal alien.
The county won’t require families to prove detention or deportation or provide employment records.
The Arlington County Board set aside $50,000 for grants to support families whose primary wage earner has been detained and deported by ICE.
MORE: The Board went out of their way to make it clear that applicants don’t have to prove their family member was employed or even… https://t.co/1TxIi9MnFi pic.twitter.com/Sy3Cwpm4YT
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) September 8, 2026
From WJLA:
Each family can get up to $2,000. This comes just months after the board raised property taxes on the average homeowner by nearly $500. And the average renter could see an increase of more than $300 on rent because of the tax increases.
The Board Chairman explained the money will be distributed by Arlington Thrive, a non-profit organization that provides emergency financial assistance.
“This investment in our families is about the urgency we have seen in our community in the last month,” said Arlington County Board Chairman Matt de Ferranti. “And we are going to respond with care. and we are going to respond proudly. That’s what this $50,000 is toward with Thrive.”
I’m not shocked that Virginia counties continue to thwart federal law:
Former Acting ICE Director and former federal prosecutor Jonathan Fahey said the county may be violating federal law.
“Arlington County is putting aside money for presumably people that are not even legal in the country, as opposed to giving it to Arlington County residents or American citizens,” said Fahey. “But I think the one thing that’s really interesting about what they’re doing here, there’s this alien harboring statute, a federal statute that makes it illegal to do something that induces or encourages someone to come to the country illegally or to reside in the country illegally, and I think Arlington County has a real problem with that statute.”
“They’re going to induce more illegal aliens into Arlington County, which will also cost the taxpayers even more money,” added Fahey. “There’s probably so many things that could be done that are better for the taxpayers and the residents and the legal residents of Arlington County.”
DHS has enhanced its immigration enforcement in areas around DC because those states and counties expanded their sanctuary policies.
In January, de Ferranti encouraged Arlington County residents to call 911 if they spot ICE, since the county law does not allow the public or local law enforcement to interfere with federal immigration law. From Fox News:
“That is not just to follow the law, but to do everything possible to protect our neighbors and reduce harm. That means working together to call ‘911’ when you see ICE in our community.”
De Ferranti said calling 911 helps officials know that ICE is present and then pivot to “pursu[ing] Arlington County’s law enforcement mission: preventing violence in our community.”
Last week, a judge placed a temporary injunction on a key part of a Virginia law that limits cooperation with ICE.
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