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Fairfax County’s sheriff and Board of Supervisors should uphold the county’s Trust Policy without making voluntary exceptions to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a Reston educator concerned about the effects on immigrant families.
Drawing on more than 15 years in Northern Virginia’s public and private schools, the educator described parents who fear taking their children to school or attending family events because they worry they could be detained and permanently separated from their homes and families. Children, the letter argued, are also struggling with the possibility of losing parents or siblings.
The appeal rejected efforts to portray immigrants as dangerous and pointed to research suggesting immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than people born in the United States.
A study co-conducted by Northwestern University economist and professor Elisa Jácome found immigrants were 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born residents. An American Immigration Council analysis also found that immigration doubled between 1980 and 2022 while crime declined by more than 60%.
Immigrant residents strengthen Fairfax County through their languages, art, food, religious traditions and fashions, the letter argued, while giving neighbors a broader view of the world.
County officials and community members should therefore concentrate on protecting immigrants and working with them, rather than threatening, disparaging or detaining them and separating their families.