Latest news with #ArlingtonCountyRepublicanCommittee
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arlington County Board votes to prohibit police from contacting ICE
ARLINGTON, Va. (DC News Now) — Arlington County police are no longer allowed to reach out to federal immigration officials proactively. The county board voted Tuesday to take out language from its 'Trust Policy.' One of the big concerns from immigration lawyers and board members is that immigrants have been afraid to report crimes to police for fear of being deported. People opposed to the policy change say the move makes the community less safe. With the recent ICE crackdowns on immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, life for many immigrants comes with fear. 189 arrested in immigration crackdown under 'Make DC Safe and Beautiful' initative 'Generally, people are scared,' said immigration attorney Miguel Palmeiro. On Wednesday afternoon, Palmeiro was helping a single mom with a young son who two people attacked. 'She doesn't have legal status. So her fear, she tells me, she goes, 'I don't want to call the police because I don't want them to have my updated address, because then they're going to get me and they're going to deport me,'' Palmeiro said. It's one of the main reasons Arlington County's board unanimously removed Section 7 of its trust policy, meaning county law enforcement can't proactively contact federal immigration authorities about any issue. 'I want the police to be able to keep the community safe. And they can report the crimes so that… future crimes don't happen,' Palmeiro said. 'I'm worried that if people think that they just target immigrants, that bad things will happen to immigrants.' County Vice Chair Matt De Ferranti says Arlington police shouldn't be focused on federal immigration. 'Those in our detention facility must be entered into a database that ICE has access to. Whether we like that or not, it is the law,' De Ferranti said. Immigrant advocacy organizations offer advice amid reports of increased immigration enforcement in DC There is pushback to the change. Matthew Hurtt is chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee. 'Arlington Republicans are disappointed at this county board for refusing to work with federal law enforcement, including ICE, to uphold our immigration laws,' Hurtt said. Hurtt believes increased ICE enforcement is a good thing. 'It allows law enforcement to keep our streets safe. Again, Northern Virginia residents are deeply concerned about crime and we're seeing a lot of elements from the illegal alien community, people who are hiding in the shadows, who are committing those crimes,' Hurtt said. As part of her decision, board member Maureen Coffey pointed to the overall immigration actions that have been taking place. 'Sending people to foreign prisons and claiming we have no way to get them back is not normal. Stating that due process isn't required for immigration proceedings is not normal,' Coffey said. 'The rhetoric and actions of this administration have led to tremendous stress and fear in our community, and we want to make sure all residents feel safe in engaging with local government, particularly with local law enforcement, ' said Takis Karantonis, chair of the Arlington County Board. 'The County continues to follow state and federal law, but neither requires us to have Section 7. The County has always held that immigration enforcement is the sole and exclusive responsibility of the federal government, and this decision remains consistent with that understanding.' ICE has not responded to a request for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gay Virginia GOP nominee accuses governor's team of extortion, says lewd photos not his
Virginia's Republican nominee for lieutenant governor is accusing Gov. Glenn Youngkin's political advisers of extortion and says they're trying to force him to end his campaign. John Reid is the first openly gay man to run on a Republican or Democratic statewide ticket. In two videos he posted online, he went public with details of what he called Youngkin's efforts to get him to leave the race. Many Republicans continue to support Reid, a former Richmond radio talk show host who has been with his current partner for eight suddenly became the nominee for lieutenant governor a week ago, when the favorite and only other candidate, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, stepped aside for health reasons. Reid said before that, "a local religious activist" and two people he has "known for several years" threatened him with what they described as sexually explicit photos they claimed he had posted on a Tumblr account. Reid says the photos are not his and the account was fabricated. Next came a call from the governor asking him to step down, Reid said. He said when he refused, his aides were contacted again. 'They were told if I dropped out of the race, they would purchase the opposition research and the lies and threat against me would suddenly stop. This is extortion, and it is illegal in Virginia,' Reid said on video. 'I am more outraged now.' Reid said he has no intention of dropping out. 'I'm tougher than any of my detractors, and I'm not going anywhere,' he said in the defiant conclusion to a video he posted online Sunday. On Tuesday, Youngkin defended his call to Reid, saying concerns about lewd photos distract from key topics. 'Explicit social media content like this is a distraction. It's a distraction for campaigns, and it's a distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues,' he said at an event on fentanyl awareness. Youngkin said it's Reid's decision to remain in the race or not. 'The decision is John's and up to John,' he said. GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, the current lieutenant governor, also referred to distraction from core issues and left it to Reid to continue with his campaign or not. 'President Lincoln said, 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' Those biblical words from Matthew 12:25 embody the positive mission of our campaign — to unite and inspire Virginians of all backgrounds. This week, focus on the lieutenant governor nominee distracted from that mission and cannot continue. John Reid is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. It is his race, and his decision alone to move forward. We all have our own race to run,' she said in a statement Tuesday. Earle-Sears called for a focus on 'results, unity and winning in November.' Other Republicans said they're upset about what they're seeing unfold. Matthew Hurtt is the chair of the Arlington County Republican Committee. He contacted his members over the weekend to gauge their reaction. 'More than two-thirds of my members who responded said we don't think John should drop out, and an even higher percentage of respondents said they would still vote for John in November as the Republican nominee,' he said. Hurtt blamed the governor's political action team for the mess. Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Reid's allegations. Political analyst Bob Holsworth, a partner at the public policy consulting firm DecideSmart, said Republicans were already facing an uphill battle in November and this only deepens their challenge. 'Now you have this situation where the governor is largely being seen as an individual who is pushing out a gay man,' he said. 'Republicans have brought this on themselves. The governor has brought this on the party, and they don't have an easy way out of it,' he continued. A unity rally with the three statewide candidates and Youngkin had been planned for Wednesday but was cancelled. A rally for Reid was held Monday night in Sterling. This story first appeared on NBC Washington. This article was originally published on
NBC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Gay Virginia GOP nominee accuses governor's team of extortion, says lewd photos not his
Virginia's Republican nominee for lieutenant governor is accusing Gov. Glenn Youngkin's political advisers of extortion and says they're trying to force him to end his campaign. John Reid is the first openly gay man to run on a Republican or Democratic statewide ticket. In two videos he posted online, he went public with details of what he called Youngkin's efforts to get him to leave the race. Many Republicans continue to support Reid, a former Richmond radio talk show host who has been with his current partner for eight years. Reid suddenly became the nominee for lieutenant governor a week ago, when the favorite and only other candidate, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity, stepped aside for health reasons. Reid said before that, "a local religious activist" and two people he has "known for several years" threatened him with what they described as sexually explicit photos they claimed he had posted on a Tumblr account. Reid says the photos are not his and the account was fabricated. Next came a call from the governor asking him to step down, Reid said. He said when he refused, his aides were contacted again. 'They were told if I dropped out of the race, they would purchase the opposition research and the lies and threat against me would suddenly stop. This is extortion, and it is illegal in Virginia,' Reid said on video. 'I am more outraged now.' Reid said he has no intention of dropping out. 'I'm tougher than any of my detractors, and I'm not going anywhere,' he said in the defiant conclusion to a video he posted online Sunday. On Tuesday, Youngkin defended his call to Reid, saying concerns about lewd photos distract from key topics. 'Explicit social media content like this is a distraction. It's a distraction for campaigns, and it's a distraction from people paying attention to the most important issues,' he said at an event on fentanyl awareness. Youngkin said it's Reid's decision to remain in the race or not. 'The decision is John's and up to John,' he said. GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, the current lieutenant governor, also referred to distraction from core issues and left it to Reid to continue with his campaign or not. 'President Lincoln said, 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' Those biblical words from Matthew 12:25 embody the positive mission of our campaign — to unite and inspire Virginians of all backgrounds. This week, focus on the lieutenant governor nominee distracted from that mission and cannot continue. John Reid is the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. It is his race, and his decision alone to move forward. We all have our own race to run,' she said in a statement Tuesday. Earle-Sears called for a focus on 'results, unity and winning in November.' 'The governor has brought this on the party' Other Republicans said they're upset about what they're seeing unfold. Matthew Hurtt is the chair of the Arlington County Republican Committee. He contacted his members over the weekend to gauge their reaction. 'More than two-thirds of my members who responded said we don't think John should drop out, and an even higher percentage of respondents said they would still vote for John in November as the Republican nominee,' he said. Hurtt blamed the governor's political action team for the mess. Youngkin's Spirit of Virginia PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Reid's allegations. Political analyst Bob Holsworth, a partner at the public policy consulting firm DecideSmart, said Republicans were already facing an uphill battle in November and this only deepens their challenge. 'Now you have this situation where the governor is largely being seen as an individual who is pushing out a gay man,' he said. 'Republicans have brought this on themselves. The governor has brought this on the party, and they don't have an easy way out of it,' he continued. A unity rally with the three statewide candidates and Youngkin had been planned for Wednesday but was cancelled. A rally for Reid was held Monday night in Sterling.
