Local Virginia GOP chair says Arlington County officials prioritize illegal immigrants over public safety

A recently released House Judiciary Committee report on one Virginia county's effort to resist the Trump administration's immigration enforcement agenda clashes with the region's deep blue politics, according to local Republicans.

The 23-page interim staff report from the committee's Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement heavily criticized Arlington County's sanctuary policies , accusing the county and local Democratic-run jurisdictions of ignoring public safety while advocating for policies that make it harder for federal immigration authorities to detain and arrest undocumented immigrants with criminal records.

"Chairman [Jim] Jordan's Judiciary Committee report about Arlington is spot on," Matthew Hurtt, the chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee, told Fox News Digital.

"Arlington elected officials prioritize illegal aliens over the safety of Arlington residents.

And as an Arlington resident, I've seen this play out over the last several months." LOCAL GOP LEADER SLAMS $50K TAXPAYER 'SLUSH FUND' FOR FAMILIES OF DETAINED, DEPORTED IMMIGRANT BREADWINNERS The report noted the limited cooperation between local law enforcement and immigration authorities.

It cited Arlington County's official Board "Trust Policy" rules governing local law enforcement.

The updated May 2025 "Trust Policy" prohibits the Arlington County Police Department "from initiating contact with federal immigration authorities" even when identifying an undocumented immigrant as a "violent felon, gang member, human trafficker, or terrorist." VIRGINIA COUNTY TO PAY UP TO $2K TO FAMILIES WITH PRIMARY WAGE EARNER DETAINED BY ICE In addition, the committee report referred to a July 16, 2026 closed-door deposition in which Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, acknowledged that her office considers immigration status when determining case outcomes and admitted that written guidelines do not forbid considering immigration status for any crime.

She also defended a memo asking prosecutors to consider other charges when a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient is accused of drunk driving.

SOROS-BACKED DA ACCUSED OF GOING EASY ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GETS SQUEEZED BY HOUSE GOP Since U.S.