The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) People Power Fairfax has released a list of candidates it claims have signed its pledge to limit Fairfax County’s cooperation and information sharing “to the maximum extent possible” with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on civil immigration matters.

The local political action group, which “advocates for equal justice for all members of our community, including undocumented immigrants,” said candidates running for eight of 10 seats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors have agreed to act against further cooperation with ICE in its civil immigration enforcement role.

So far, only Democrats have signed onto the “Freedom Cities” platform, with the group reporting that “no Republican or Independent candidate responded to our queries.”

On Monday, Sept. 16, ACLU People Power Fairfax released a voter guide listing all of the candidates that had signed its commitment to “support the enactment of a binding County-wide policy” that restricts local cooperation and information sharing with ICE.

Credit: ACLU People Power Fairfax.

“Over 12,000 Fairfax County residents are currently in deportation proceedings, three times higher than in more populous Philadelphia or Manhattan,” ACLU People Power Fairfax states.

“Because 85 percent of immigrant families are of mixed status, the impact on our community is profound.

“Most ICE enforcement is civil, and depends on voluntary cooperation by local authorities. Nationwide, about 70% of those facing deportation proceedings were turned over to ICE by state and local government. Change at the local level will go far to keep immigrants out of the current deportation pipeline.”

This pledge was signed by several Democratic Party candidates for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (Credit: ACLU People Power Fairfax).

For the Richmond Highway area, the most notable signatories are Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay (Democratic Party), who is running for chairman of the board, and McKay’s likely successor Rodney Lusk, who is running unopposed to represent Lee District after winning his Democratic Party primary against a competitive field of candidates.

“Fairfax County is not and should never be involved in immigration matters,” McKay wrote in response to a Q&A from ACLU People Power Fairfax.

“From a County level, ICE should only be communicated with when a judicial warrant regarding a criminal case exists. I am working with various stakeholder groups on cementing this policy and am committed to seeing its adoption as early as is feasible.”

Lusk said in his Q&A response that he opposes non-voluntary information sharing with ICE. Additionally, he said he would take steps to ensure the immigrant community can trust him as a local representative and feel comfortable coming to him with concerns.

“It is not the responsibility of the Fairfax County taxpayer or, by extension, Fairfax County employees to do ICE’s job for them,” he wrote.

Notably, Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck did not respond to the questionnaire. He is seeking re-election unopposed.

In addition to McKay and Lusk, these candidates signed the ACLU People Power Fairfax commitment: James Walkinshaw (Braddock), John Foust (Dranesville), Walter Alcorn (Hunter Mill), Dalia Palchik (Providence), Linda Sperling (Springfield) and Kathy Smith (Sully).

“A ninth candidate, Penny Gross (Mason), stated she has a policy against signing any pledges, but indicated her support for adoption of a non-cooperation policy in her questionnaire responses,” the group noted.

The move by these candidates ahead of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5, 2019 brings Fairfax County squarely into the national debate over illegal immigration. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a hard line against cities and municipalities that support so-called sanctuary city laws limiting cooperation with immigration enforcement officials.

Featured image: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

What do you think about the ACLU People Power Fairfax pledge? Should candidates have signed it? Comment below.