The Arlington County Board’s decision to change the rules for how police collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement sparked heated debate.
Board members say they tightened the rules to protect migrants, but some in the community believe the change will help the President-elect Donald Trump administration’s plans for mass deportation.
Supporters of the migrant community urged the board to postpone a vote or scrap one portion of what’s known as the “trust policy,” which governs when police contact ICE about undocumented immigrants.
But Board members say the rules needed to be clarified to better protect the migrant community.
The amendment would only allow police to collaborate with ICE when an immigrant is identified as a gang member and is wanted or arrested for a violent felony or criminal street gang offense, or when an undocumented immigrant is arrested for terrorism or a human trafficking offense. A police supervisor with a …