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Residents urge limits on federal immigration cooperation and ask council to reconsider East–West path alignment
Summary
Two residents used public comment to press council: one asked Falls Church to bar routine cooperation with federal immigration agencies and to plan exceptions only when necessary; another asked staff to consider alternatives to a proposed East–West multi‑use path that would run very close to Falls Plaza condominiums and called for preserving trees and exploring less intrusive alignments.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, two residents raised separate but substantive concerns for council consideration.
Ted Ling urged the city to adopt a clear local policy limiting routine cooperation between Falls Church police and federal immigration agencies (ICE, CBP, park police). He said the city’s current general order “leans in the right direction” but does not explicitly bar cooperation and recommended a local commitment that cooperation be rare and limited to narrow exceptions such as child‑exploitation investigations. "Shouldn't it be possible that Falls Church follow the lead of California and, to some extent, Arlington, and bar all cooperation between the city police and ICE, CBP, park police, and every other federal agent?" Ling asked. Councilmembers asked staff and the city attorney to compile and share the current general order and to advise whether and how it might be clarified or amended.
Elizabeth Cunningham, a resident of Falls Plaza condominiums, asked council to reconsider the planning alignment for an East–West multi‑use path proposed to connect Birch and Haycock, saying the current plan would place the path ‘‘literally 10 feet from our doors’’ and would likely require removal of mature trees. She said she had suggested alternative, lower‑impact alignments to staff and to a city planner and asked the council to review alternatives and discuss them with the homeowners association. Staff said the item will be on the Feb. 2 work session and that the project team intends to follow up with nearby homeowners and homeowners associations after that session.
Council directed staff to share the city’s general order referenced in the ICE discussion with councilmembers for review and to continue outreach and follow‑up meetings with residents about the East–West connection; no formal direction to change policy or design was made at the meeting.
