26 January 2021, Fairfax, Virginia – The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors today voted to adopt the Trust Policy, which prohibits voluntary information sharing and cooperation with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by the police and other county agencies. The grassroots organization ACLU People Power Fairfax and the largest immigrant justice group in the region CASA have fought for this major victory for four years, leading an advocacy campaign that resulted in this inclusive policy.
Chairman McKay, Supervisor John Foust, Supervisor Palchik, and Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano will join the two organizations and affected community members in a virtual press conference on Friday, January 29, 2021 at 11 am. Full information will be shared in the morning.
“The Trust Policy breaks new ground in Virginia by prohibiting voluntary cooperation with ICE. Its adoption of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” standard for all residents’ personal information also makes it a national leader in privacy protection,” said Diane Burkley Alejandro, Lead Advocate for ACLU People Power Fairfax. “ICE has exploited the weaknesses of Virginia privacy laws to obtain contact information to track down its ‘targets.’ Thanks to Chairman McKay and the Board, Fairfax now has guardrails in place to prevent this happening here.”
The limits on collection and sharing of personal information apply to sharing with all outside entities, not just ICE. The expanded protection benefits all Fairfax residents and is especially critical for immigrants. The policy also prohibits ICE access to County facilities not open to the general public without a judicial warrant; prohibits the use of County resources to provide information to ICE unless otherwise required by law; and expands the type of identification documents that can be used when a photo ID is required for government services.
“For four years, we have marched, spoken out and stood up for our rights as immigrants, and now we can finally breathe easier,” said Luis Aguilar, CASA’s Virginia state director. “We are grateful for the leadership of Chairman McKay and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, who stood strongly in support of immigrant families by voting through this critical county policy change. The majority of the Fairfax County government can continue building trust from its residents and its representative local government, services, and police department.”
The trust policy spans to all of Fairfax County’s municipalities: Alexandria, Annandale, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Dunn Loring, Fairfax, Fairfax Station, Falls Church, Fort Belvoir, Great Falls, Herndon, Lorton, Mc Lean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, Vienna, and West Mclean.
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ACLU People Power Fairfax is a grassroots organization that advocates for equal justice for all members of our community including undocumented immigrants, regardless of race or ethnicity. To achieve this goal, we seek to end voluntary cooperation with ICE by local and state governments and to reform practices and policies that support systemic racism. There are over 4,000 People Power volunteers in Fairfax. Our efforts reflect the views of our members, not necessarily those of the ACLU Virginia affiliate. For further information, visit us on Twitter @PeoplePowerFfx and Facebook @peoplepowerffx or by email at [email protected].
With over 100,000 members across the states of Maryland, Virginia, and South Central Pennsylvania, CASA is the largest member-based Latino and immigrant organization in the mid-Atlantic region. CASA organizes with and litigates on behalf of low-wage immigrants. Visit us at www.wearecasa.org and follow us on Twitter at @CASAforall
