A federal judge in Alexandria this week ordered the release of three young male immigrants from United States custody as part of a class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.
In the case Sarmiento et al. v. Perry et al., it was announced Tuesday that two brothers from El Salvador, ages 19 and 20, were ordered to be released by U.S. District Court Judge Anthony J. Trenga, following their ICE arrests in Stafford County this past August.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins and the City Council are calling on the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office to stop transferring inmates to immigration enforcement unless required by law.
Following months of pressure from activists critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — including a protest during an Oct. 18 public hearing — Gaskins and the Council publicly asked Sheriff Sean Casey to stop transferring Alexandria inmates to ICE custody via the agency’s detainers and administrative warrants.
Federal agents were spotted in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 5.
There were no reports of arrests. Footage taken by ALXnow at around 9:30 a.m. shows multiple vehicles with Texas license plates in the parking lot of The Birchmere at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue. A photo submitted to ALXnow also shows federal officers speaking to people at Four Mile Run Park near Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mount Vernon Avenue).
It’s been an intense week in Alexandria. Here’s a look at our top stories.
Our most-read story is on a woman found dead outside her apartment during an eviction process on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office reported on social media that deputies were conducting an eviction at an apartment at 400 Madison Street at around 9 a.m., when they found the adult woman dead outside the building. The woman’s identity and the circumstances surrounding her death have not been released.
Alexandria Poet Laureate Cristi Donoso says that her future work will focus on the immigrant experience in the city.
Donoso has lived in Alexandria for more than a decade and has so far written four poems as poet laureate. Her work, which includes the city’s birthday poem that she read onstage to thousands last month, can be seen on the Office of the Arts website and her personal website.
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office has turned over 35 inmates in the city jail to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this year to date, and a local group wants the practice to stop.
Advocacy group Grassroots Alexandria says that the Sheriff is cooperating with ICE, and risks losing the respect of his community. In contrast, the Sheriff’s Office says it must transfer inmates in compliance with federal law. The number of Alexandria inmates transferred to ICE custody was recently revealed in a July 15 Freedom of Information Act request from Grassroots Alexandria.
City Council has released more than $120,000 in reserve funding to the Alexandria Health Department.
On Tuesday (July 1), Council approved the one-time funding to support the city’s Healthy Homes Action Plan, immigrant and refugee resource programs, and expansion of the ALX Breathes program. AHD lost the funds, which were from a federal COVID-19 grant earlier this year.
What a week it’s been in Alexandria. Here’s our recap of top stories.
ALXnow had its highest single-day visitor count ever on Thursday (June 12), with more than 53,000 views, following a report that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to deploy tactical units to Northern Virginia and four major cities across the country.
Northern Virginia is reportedly among the “five cities run by Democratic leaders” that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to deploy tactical units to, according to MSNBC.
Citing two unnamed sources “familiar with the planning of future ICE operations,” MSNBC reported that ICE is preparing to deploy tactical response teams in New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Northern Virginia.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced this week the arrest of a 40-year-old Salvadoran woman in Alexandria on Feb. 25.
Silvia Lorana Bonilla-De Jandres was arrested as part of an investigation by the Virginia State Police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. She was arrested more than a month ago, on the same day that a 41-year-old Salvadoran woman was arrested by ICE in Alexandria.
Some Alexandria families are bracing for potential immigration enforcement following a wave of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump in his first days back in office.
While there have been no confirmed reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Alexandria, local advocacy groups say immigrant families are preparing for the worst.
