The chair of the Arlington County Board and another board member are encouraging county residents to call 911 if they see Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers operating in Arlington County, Virginia.
“It helps us know when ICE is in Arlington, so that we can better pursue Arlington County’s law enforcement mission: preventing violence in our community,” Chair Matt de Ferranti said at the county board meeting Saturday.
His statement comes after the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month by an ICE agent, and hours before Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti was shot and killed by Border Patrol officers.
“To our immigrant neighbors, you belong in Arlington,” de Ferranti said. “You are a part of this community. Your county board is paying attention to what you are experiencing.”
According to county data, 22% of Arlington County’s population identify as immigrants.
Responding to a comment during the question-and-answer session of the board meeting, Board member Takis Karantonis said 911 was the best way to reach law enforcement in an emergency.
“I would always call 911 when I see an ICE officer in my neighborhood,” Karantonis said. “911 is the best solution.”
And de Ferranti said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents “have no legal requirement to tell us when they come into our community.”
He insisted that since the start of the second Trump administration, there has been a lack of coordination with local police departments.
“ICE’s approach is designed to provoke right now, and to seek out conflict,” de Ferranti said.
At least 19 people have been removed from Arlington as part of ICE efforts, de Ferranti said.
Karantonis said he believes the Trump administration appears intent on “converting law enforcement into a military intervention with all the trappings and appearance and posture of some sort of regime change.”
“This makes me very fearful. I am not only concerned, I’m afraid,” Karantonis said. “In a democracy, nobody should be afraid.”
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