Arlington County Board Chair Tax Carantonis told the public at the May 10 board meeting that the county’s trust policy will be on the board’s agenda for a vote during the chair’s report on Tuesday, May 13, after 3:30 p.m. The announcement followed a series of public comments urging the board to remove Section 7, the provision that the community says has allowed Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) officers to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in certain cases.

“...this item will be up for a vote on Tuesday during the chair’s report after 03:30PM,” Chair Tax Carantonis said, announcing the timetable and noting the draft update staff posted online in advance of the vote. He told speakers at the meeting there would not be an opportunity for public testimony at that Tuesday meeting but that written feedback remain welcome.

Public commenters at the May 10 meeting called repeatedly for repeal or removal of Section 7. Amber Qureshi of Local Activa and the ISAT of Arlington Coalition delivered organizational letters and petitions asking the board to “end all voluntary collaboration with ICE and expand protections for our Arlington’s migrant community,” and said that, in the first month and a half of the year, ACPD’s contacts with ICE had increased dramatically compared to the previous year. Courtney Massey and other community members pressed the board to clarify where each member stood ahead of Tuesday’s vote.

Audrey Clement, an independent candidate for county board who addressed the panel during public comment, warned that repeal of Section 7 would, in her view, have safety consequences. “Repeal of section 7 will release criminal aliens… to continue their life of crime on Arlington streets,” Clement said; the board’s chair responded that criminal prosecutions and removals remain subject to due process and federal law.

At the meeting, Chair Carantonis said the board planned to remove Section 7 but that the “details… will come at our Tuesday meeting.” Several board members echoed concern for due process while also saying they had heard the community’s sustained calls to change the policy. “We will have ample opportunity to weigh in on Section 7 on Tuesday,” Board Member Julius “JD” Spain Sr. said during remarks after public comment.

The trust policy governs how county employees and law enforcement communicate with federal immigration authorities. The county staff’s posted draft for Tuesday’s vote reportedly strikes Section 7 with technical amendments elsewhere; the transcript shows the draft was posted online for public review prior to the vote. The board has said there will be no public testimony at the May 13 meeting’s chair’s report; members of the public who testified May 10 were encouraged to submit written comments and to attend Open Door Monday sessions for further discussion.

Board action next Tuesday will finalize whether the policy language is removed as described. The board’s announcement and the public comment record show strong community engagement on the topic; specifics about the proposed replacement language and the legal consequences for county agencies will be presented to the board at the May 13 meeting.