Virginia’s Arlington County unanimously passed a policy last week that stands to significantly improve the daily lives of immigrant residents. The trust policy “affirms that any Arlington residents can access public services, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status,” and codifies that “county resources can’t be used for immigration enforcement and bars county employees, including police, from asking residents for their immigration status,”The Washington Postreported.
Advocates had hoped officials would go further and pass policy that outright cuts off all collaboration between local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. But they said changes nevertheless represented progress for immigrant communities. “It’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Legal Aid Justice Center Immigrant Advocacy Program legal director Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told DCist.
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