While Prince William and Loudoun leaders seek to tighten restrictions on illegal immigrants, their counterparts in Arlington and Alexandria officials have gone on the defensive regarding their policies.

“Much has been reported lately of an immigration ‘problem’ in parts of Northern Virginia. There is no such ‘problem’ in Arlington County,” County Manager Ron Carlee wrote in a Sept. 11 memo. “Much of what is being said about immigration is political rhetoric during a hotly contested campaign season.”