Arlington County officials are scheduled to meet with officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to discuss the county’s desire to opt out of the Secure Communities program on Friday.
The county has been seeking clarification from ICE on whether or not opting out is a even possible since the County Board passed a resolution in favor of withdrawing the program. County Board member Walter Tejada has argued that the program is detrimental to community law enforcement efforts and unfairly targets immigrants for deportation.
ICE assistant secretary John Morton has publicly stated that local communities don’t have a say in their involvement with the program, which shares fingerprints taken by local authorities with the FBI and ICE to make criminal background checks and verify a person’s citizenship.
Arlington officials are still seeking a definitive statement that addresses evidence that Tejada says contradicts Morton’s statement, including a letter from Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano that indicates specific steps a community can take to decline participating in the program.
