A Message from Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Members of City Council
As we witness the horrific actions carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement happening across our country, the Mayor and the City Council wish to reiterate not only our commitment to upholding all Alexandrians' human rights, but also, our city’s approach to keeping our community safe.
Everyone in Alexandria, regardless of immigration status, has constitutional rights, including the right to due process and equal protection under the law. City leadership remains firmly committed to upholding these principles and to fostering a community where all residents feel safe accessing city services, reporting crimes, and participating fully in civic life and can do so without fear of harassment.
ICE in the City
We know that ICE has been active in Northern Virginia and in Alexandria specifically. However, neither the City Manager nor Alexandria City Council or State officials are formally notified when ICE activity increases.
Federal immigration enforcement activities are conducted independently of the City of Alexandria. The city does not assist with civil immigration enforcement, and we do not receive a heads up when ICE enters the city.
Because ICE operations are not transparent and ICE officers are typically masked and do not identify themselves, our residents and businesses are rightly concerned about these potential operations.
What the City of Alexandria is Doing
The City of Alexandria has and will continue to take proactive steps in the face of growing ICE activity in our community. Some of these steps are outlined below.
Coordination:
City staff regularly meet and coordinate with the City Council. These meetings include the City Manager, City Attorney, Police Chief, Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director as needed. Together, we have clear plans in place to share information, support residents, and ensure that the City is prepared to respond
- The City is in communication and working closely with Alexandria City Public Schools and community partners and leaders from our immigrant and refugee communities.
- City officials are in regular contact with state officials and General Assembly leadership.
- The Mayor and City Council members are collaborating with their colleagues across the region and the country to share information and support one another. We are staying alert, following developments closely, and doing everything we can to keep our residents safe.
BACKGROUND:
The Alexandria City Council has a longstanding resolution affirming that Alexandria is a welcoming community that treats everyone with human dignity and respect. The resolution provides that "it is morally appropriate and fiscally prudent to focus our finite City resources towards addressing and resolving discrete community concerns that are governed by the applicable local laws," rather than attempting to assume the federal government's responsibility for immigration laws. The resolution set forth the following policies:
The City of Alexandria will comply with all federal and state laws related to immigration, including those that involve eligibility for state and federal programs.
The City of Alexandria will protect the security of its community and will aggressively prosecute individuals who threaten our security by committing serious crimes, including checking the immigration status of any such person and forwarding this information to appropriate state and federal officials.
Beyond what is required by state and federal law, the City and affiliate agencies under the City Manager and City Council's purview will neither make inquiries about nor report on the citizenship of those who seek the protection of its laws or the use of its services.
City Council issued an additional statement in 2016, to further declare Alexandria's commitment to fostering an atmosphere of inclusiveness that respects the dignity and worth of every person.
Future Policy Development:
The City is supporting a package of bills in the General Assembly this year that, if enacted, would create statewide limits on where federal immigration enforcement activities can take place, by restricting enforcement in:
- Protected areas like hospitals and schools (HB1440)
- Near polling places during elections (HB1442)
- In and around courthouses (HB650/SB351)
These bills have or will be merged into HB650. The City is also supporting bills that would prohibit federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks while engaged in immigration enforcement activities (HB7/SB352).
The City is reviewing the practices of other jurisdictions and assessing the scope of its authority under Virginia law to enforce applicable state statutes and local ordinances, where legally permissible, in circumstances involving federal immigration enforcement activity; for example, through measures such as verifying identification and documenting ICE conduct.
The Alexandria Police Department
APD’s mission is to provide competent, professional, and community-oriented police services within the City of Alexandria. Our local law enforcement officers are focused on public safety and building trust with the community they serve.
Alexandria police officers will always have physical identification on them and will identify themselves. APD officers will always wear official department uniforms and badges when responding to a call. Residents can ask APD officers for their names and badge numbers at any time, and they are required to provide it.
Furthermore, our officers do not ask about immigration status during routine interactions
While APD will not help ICE agents in civil enforcement matters, the law prohibits officers from impeding ICE operations. However, our police Department will respond to a dispatched call for service where there is a concern about an unverified law enforcement activity, or disturbance or assault or other potential criminal offense in Alexandria involving federal law enforcement/ICE. To report concerns, use the Police non-emergency number, 703.746.4444.
The Alexandria Sheriff's Office
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office is not a City department and the Sheriff is a duly elected official and the City Council does not oversee the actions of the Sheriff. For information regarding the Sheriff's position regarding ICE, please visit their website.
In November 2024, Mayor Alyia Gaskins and the Members of City Council issued the following statement regarding Sheriff Casey and ICE. The statement is copied below:
Alexandria has always been and will continue to be a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community. We are made stronger by the many immigrants and immigrant communities that reside, work, go to school and socialize in Alexandria. While this Council remains committed to insuring the public safety of our residents and to Alexandria as the safe place to live, work and play that it is today, supporting and safeguarding our immigrant communities while maintaining public safety are not mutually exclusive goals. The City remains firmly committed to upholding the Constitution and the rule of law while ensuring that all residents, including members of our immigrant communities, are protected and treated with fairness and dignity
Given the current federal administration’s view towards immigration enforcement and the tactics of fear, intimidation and lack of due process employed currently by ICE, the City Council finds it necessary to affirm that we do not support any voluntary participation by the Sheriff’s office in ICE immigration procedures. While we acknowledge our Sheriff’s department is not participating in other active enforcement options available to them, we call upon the Sheriff to cease his transfer of persons in his custody in response to ICE administrative detainers and warrants. We ask that he join the Sheriffs in Arlington and Fairfax who only complete transfers in compliance with judicial warrants.
As a Council, each of us has shared individually and collectively that we disagree with the Sheriff’s current practice. We recognize that the Sheriff’s Office is an independently elected constitutional office possessing the discretion to determine whether to honor such administrative warrants. We also recognize as well that this program has been in place under previous Democratic and Republican Presidential administrations and prior Sheriffs. We do not allege that the Sheriff’s practice is unconstitutional though we note it is voluntary. Given the ICE tactics we have observed already here in Alexandria and around the country, we ask him to reconsider his current practice and cease any transfer of inmates pursuant to ICE administrative warrants and detainers.
In the meantime, as a Council, we will continue to stand in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors and explore policies to protect the safety of all in our community.
Where Residents Can Find Information
We’ve created this new City webpage where residents can get the most up-to-date information, press releases, and resources in the event that ICE deployments in our City increase. The City will primarily communicate with residents via this webpage, our citywide eNews (sign up here for the 'General City News Releases' topic), local media outlets, and social media.
Immigration Enforcement in Alexandria
The City of Alexandria believes in the rule of law and does not encourage or condone any type of unlawful activity.
Is Alexandria a sanctuary city?
There is no general definition of "sanctuary city," and individuals and organizations with various points of view on immigration issues have defined the term differently. The City of Alexandria complies with all federal and state immigration laws, it is not a "sanctuary jurisdiction" under any uses of the term that refer to violation of federal or state laws.
Can the City decline to comply with federal or state immigration law?
No. The Constitution of the United States provides that if a federal law is constitutional, it preempts any state or local law or policy. The Commonwealth of Virginia follows the " Dillon Rule," which holds that localities have only the powers granted to them by the state and may not enact laws or policies that conflict with state law. Thus, the City is obligated to comply with any constitutional federal or state law.
What is the City of Alexandria's relationship with ICE?
The U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE enforces federal laws governing border control, customs, trade and immigration. With more than 20,000 employees in more than 400 offices and an annual budget of approximately $8 billion, ICE is uniquely suited to carry out immigration enforcement. Local law enforcement agencies are responsible for enforcing hundreds of various state and local laws, and are not staffed to enforce federal laws including immigration.
Section 287(g) of the federal Immigration and Nationality Act permits state and local law enforcement agencies to enter into agreements with ICE to enforce federal immigration laws. The City of Alexandria does not have a "287(g) agreement," and does not enforce federal immigration laws. The few agencies nationwide that have these agreements are listed here.
The City of Alexandria’s law enforcement officers do not participate in ICE raids or arrests to enforce immigration laws. This applies to Alexandria police officers, deputy sheriffs and fire marshals.
The City of Alexandria does not provide ICE with any office space, facilities or equipment. The City of Alexandria will not dedicate any funds or accept any funds for immigration enforcement.
The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office have an intergovernmental agreement with the federal government to temporarily house at the Adult Detention Center (ADC) federal detainees of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons who have been charged with federal crimes. This agreement has been in effect since the ADC opened in 1987. ICE is not part of this agreement. ICE will never be allowed to house any individual arrested for violations of immigration laws. This will not change under any circumstances.
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office is required by law to communicate with ICE. Please visit the Sheriff’s Office website for further information.
Does the City of Alexandria check immigration status when providing government services?
Subject to City Council's 2007 resolution, the City of Alexandria reviews immigration status when required by federal or state law. We do not request or review immigration status in other cases.
Students are admitted to Alexandria City Public Schools programs without regard to immigration status. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that is it unconstitutional for public schools to deny education to students on the basis of immigration status and schools will not request families provide information on their immigration status during the registration process.
Does the Alexandria Police Department check immigration status in the performance of its duties?
The Alexandria Police Department is committed to protect the constitutional and civil rights of all individuals. Employees of this Department are required to treat all persons fairly and equally, with dignity and respect.
Alexandria police officers will only arrest an individual once a confirmation of an active criminal warrant is received through the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) and the issuing law enforcement agency. APD officers will not arrest individuals based solely on administrative warrants or civil detainers for immigration status issues.
The APD will continue to evaluate and update policies to ensure that constitutional policing practices are the foundation by which we operate, representing democratic values and community expectations.
Does the Alexandria Sheriff's Office check immigration status in the performance of its duties?
The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office is required by law to communicate with ICE. Please visit the Sheriff’s Office website for further information
Know Your Rights Resources
The following resources provide information about your rights and how to exercise them:
