ARLINGTON, Virginia – The Arlington County Board is telling people to call 911 if they see Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, despite a former police officer advising against calling the emergency line.
County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti opened the emergency board meeting last week by condemning ICE for the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis and telling residents to call 911 if they see ICE working in the county.
“Our responsibility is not just to follow the law, but to do everything possible within it to protect our neighbors and reduce harm,” Ferranti said. “That means working together to call 911 when we see ICE in our community. Calling 911 is important because it helps us know when ICE is in Arlington, so that we can better pursue Arlington County’s law enforcement mission. Preventing violence in our community.”
ICE has detained 19 people in Arlington in the past year, according to Ferranti. Federal officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, have stated that an ICE officer shot Good in an act of self-defense as she drove her car toward his direction. The fatal shooting has led to anti-ICE protests throughout Minnesota and across the country, as has the more recent shooting of protester Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent.
At the meeting, a former police officer asked the board to reevaluate their stance on telling people to call 911 if they see ICE, instead advising them to call the Arlington non-emergency line.
“That would be sufficient and would work with the same people.” Gregg Kurasz, a retired Arlington County Police Department officer, said. “Don’t overload 911.”
Chairman Matt de Ferranti shot back, saying he believes ICE’s presence in the community constitutes an emergency.
“My level of trust for our ICE approach is near zero, or very low,” Ferranti said. “I believe that because we are not informed regularly when ICE comes into our community, 911 is the appropriate place to call.”
Other board members also chimed in, reiterating that people should call 911 if they simply see ICE officers in their community.
“I would always call 911 when I see an ICE officer in my neighborhood,” board member Takis Karantonis said. “Something very bad will happen when these people show up. Not only directly because of their action, but also for the collateral consequences… 911 is the best solution right now.”
“I also think about the fact that while federal agents have no requirement for bodycams, our police officers are required to have their body cameras on at all times when responding to a call, and that creates documentation,” said Maureen Coffey, Vice-Chair of the Arlington County Board.
Karantonis blamed President Donald Trump for the tensions around ICE. During a personal statement, he said what was happening in Minneapolis and across the nation is due to “an assault of the executive branch of the government.”
“Converting law enforcement into a military intervention with all the trappings and appearance and posture of some sort of regime change,” Karantonis said. “Our cities, our neighborhoods, door-to-door, are invaded right now, and this makes me very fearful. I am not only concerned, I’m afraid. In a democracy, nobody should be afraid.”
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Board members also praised newly sworn-in Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) for signing an executive order earlier this month prohibiting Virginia police from collaborating with ICE.
Back in May, the Arlington County Board voted to modify its “Trust Policy” to stifle the police department’s ability to work with ICE even if the suspect is arrested on charges of committing a violent felony, gang activity, human trafficking, or a terrorist attack.