Arlington Sheriff's Office Ends Voluntary Cooperation With ICE

ARLINGTON, VA — The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office has agreed to end its voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after community groups urged the sheriff’s office and other Arlington officials to stop the practice.

In their campaign, the community groups noted that the sheriff’s office’s voluntary cooperation with ICE had led to many unjust detentions and deportations.

In a letter to the community groups on Tuesday, Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur wrote that her office “will no longer contact ICE for any releases from our facility,” including felony charges.

The sheriff’s office, which operates Arlington County's detention center, also will no longer recognize any “voluntary actions requests from ICE nor place the information in its records management system," she said.

La ColectiVA, the National Immigration Project, and the Legal Aid Justice Center had been calling for Arlington County officials to adopt policies to end collaboration with ICE.

"While there is more work to do to achieve all possible protections for people at risk of criminalization at the county level, this is a major win for Arlington County migrant communities," the groups said in a statement Wednesday. "We hope that this ongoing community effort will be a model for an 'Arlington way' where the people, particularly those who are most harmed by state violence in its different forms, are part of decision-making and leading changes toward truly just, safe and strong communities."

Arthur, who announced last month that she will not seek re-election for sheriff in 2023, met with members of the groups on Dec. 2 to learn about the interactions between migrants and ICE and the impact on the migrants’ families.

“I listened to the concerns and impacts with an open mind, and I have also consulted with my attorney … and carefully considered all the information that was given to me,” Arthur wrote in the letter.

In July, the Arlington County Board approved a policy designed to strengthen the county government's trust with the community's immigrants. In the policy, the county committed to protecting the rights of all residents, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.

"We believe it is important to improve community health, safety, welfare, and security and build trust by ensuring that immigrant residents can be assured of access to County benefits and services without fear that the information they share, or immigration status (actual or perceived) will be disclosed to federal immigration officials," the trust policy stated. "It is not an appropriate use of Arlington County resources to engage in the enforcement of federal immigration law, which is the sole responsibility of the federal government."

In her letter on Thursday, Arthur noted that the sheriff's office will continue to follow Virginia state law and submit any required information to ICE and the Virginia State Compensation Board. The Arlington sheriff's office also "will continue to honor any judicially signed warrants from ICE, which will be treated like any other detainer," she said.

"Thank you for the opportunity to have open dialogue regarding our policies with ICE," Arthur said in the letter. "I am extremely passionate about my role as Sheriff which includes ensuring the safety and security of the individuals in our custody as well as the citizens of Arlington County."