Local Leaders Warn Immigration Enforcement Is Driving Residents Into Hiding

ARLINGTON, VA — Northern Virginia leaders said federal immigration enforcement is making their communities less safe by driving residents into hiding, weakening trust in police and discouraging families from seeking public services.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said local police rely on residents — regardless of immigration status — to report crimes and cooperate with investigations. When immigrant residents become afraid to interact with law enforcement, crimes become harder to solve, he said.

“The worst thing you can do in a community is send people into hiding,” McKay said Wednesday during the 11th Annual Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit at George Mason University’s Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington.

Immigration Fear Raises Public Safety Concerns

McKay joined Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall for the regional summit.

During a closing discussion about issues requiring greater regional cooperation, de Ferranti and Gaskins identified immigration as one of Northern Virginia’s most pressing concerns.

“Our region is thriving because we are a region of immigrants,” de Ferranti said.

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De Ferranti criticized federal immigration sweeps and the use of administrative warrants, saying safety did not appear to be the priority behind those enforcement actions.

Gaskins said officials regularly hear from residents who are afraid to leave their homes and worried about what could happen to their families.

She recalled speaking with a high school student during a back-to-school event Monday. The student whispered a question to her: “What would you do to keep my family safe?”

“That is something that I don’t always feel prepared to answer because I know, with everything we are doing, I can’t promise their safety in this moment for them or for their parents,” Gaskins said. “No child on the first day of school — that should not be the first thing they’re thinking about.”

Randall said the fear extends beyond interactions with police and is affecting public health.

“Kids are not getting vaccinations because they’re afraid to come get their vaccinations,” Randall said. “And that’s also really dangerous.”

McKay Says Residents Are Going Into Hiding

McKay said Fairfax County’s public safety depends on residents having the confidence to communicate with local law enforcement.

“We solve cases because people, regardless of their immigration status, come forward and talk to law enforcement,” McKay said.

He described a National Night Out event at a Fairfax County school that was also serving as a polling place during a primary election. The event would normally draw hundreds of children and residents to meet officers and strengthen community relationships, he said.

When police arrived, however, no one was there. McKay said information had circulated suggesting that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might be at the school because it was being used as a polling place.

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“An entire community went into hiding on the night designed to build relationships with law enforcement,” McKay said.

Federal enforcement actions are creating a more dangerous environment rather than improving public safety, he said.

“If the immigrant community feels scared and stops talking, we stop solving crimes,” McKay said. “We stop working with them. They stop feeling safe in their community, and that is not the outcome that anybody wants in a richly, unapologetically diverse, economically successful community like Northern Virginia.”

Police Chief Says Trust Is Fragile

Later Wednesday, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis addressed McKay’s remarks after Patch asked whether immigration enforcement was making the county less safe.

Davis said he had not heard McKay’s comments at the summit and did not directly endorse or reject the chairman’s conclusion. He distinguished the responsibilities of local police from those of federal immigration officers.

Fairfax County police enforce state law and investigate crimes including murders, rapes, robberies, burglaries, carjackings, auto thefts and arsons, Davis said. Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.

After Patch clarified that the question concerned the effects that enforcement fears could have on police-community relations, Davis said he would be concerned if any community avoided National Night Out out of hesitation or fear.

Fairfax County hosted 144 National Night Out events this year, which Davis said demonstrated communities’ willingness to partner with local police.

“I think what the chairman undoubtedly was trying to deliver is that trust is so important to the relationship between the police and the community,” Davis said. “Trust is sometimes a very fragile thing, so I wouldn’t want any other aspect of government, whether it’s federal, state or local, to do anything to deteriorate the quality of our relationship with any community, to include the immigrant community, because that relationship is important to us, and we interact with the immigrant community on a daily basis.”

Davis said the department wants every resident to feel confident contacting police and providing information.

“Are we doing everything we can to let our communities know that whenever they feel like they have to dial 911, that they do it without hesitation?” Davis said. “We’re constantly paying attention to that.”

ICE Says Operation Targeted Criminal Offenders

The leaders’ comments came two days after the Department of Homeland Security announced that ICE arrested 1,328 people in Virginia and Maryland during “Operation Safe Community — Washington, D.C.” from Aug. 1 through Aug. 14.

DHS said almost 400 of those arrested had been convicted of or charged with crimes in the United States. The agency cited histories that included convictions for sexual battery, kidnapping, driving while intoxicated, hit-and-run, identity theft and robbery, as well as arrests for murder, attempted murder and rape.

Much of the operation was conducted in the Washington suburbs of Virginia and Maryland, although ICE also carried out enforcement actions elsewhere in the two states, according to the DHS release.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused “sanctuary politicians” in Virginia and Maryland of putting undocumented immigrants ahead of public safety. ICE officials said removing people with criminal histories makes communities safer.

Those claims contrast with the Northern Virginia leaders’ argument that enforcement tactics and the fear surrounding them make residents less likely to report crimes, seek health care or participate in community events.

Federal Officials Have Criticized Local Policies

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized Arlington and Fairfax County for policies that limit local participation in civil immigration enforcement.

The Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano’s office in May, alleging its plea-bargaining and sentencing practices could give preferential treatment to undocumented defendants. Descano denied the allegation and called the inquiry a partisan attack, Patch previously reported.

DHS has also accused Fairfax County officials of failing to honor ICE detainers. Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has said her office notifies ICE when an undocumented person is booked into the Adult Detention Center and does not prevent federal agents from acting on civil requests.

Kincaid has said ICE can obtain a judicial warrant, monitor court proceedings or coordinate a transfer with her office. When a judge orders an inmate released, the Sheriff’s Office must comply, and ICE is responsible for arriving to take custody, according to Patch’s earlier reporting.

Arlington was among the Northern Virginia localities the Trump administration identified as “sanctuary jurisdictions” in 2025. Arlington’s trust policy states that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that county resources should not be used for that purpose.

The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office has said it follows Virginia law and honors judicially signed warrants while declining voluntary ICE requests that are not supported by a court order, Patch previously reported.

The competing arguments frame the region’s continuing immigration debate: Federal officials contend stronger enforcement removes dangerous offenders, while local leaders say enforcement fears can undermine the trust that police, schools and health agencies need to keep communities safe.