With just a few hours remaining before Donald Trump is sworn in for his second term as President of the United States, speculations about his day one immigration policies have spread across the nation. In Fairfax County, leaders are preparing for what the threat of mass deportation could mean for the community.
Currently, Fairfax Country operates under their Public Trust and Confidentiality Policy (Trust Policy), which allows immigrant residents to access county services without fear that their information will be shared with federal immigration officials. The Trust policy was adopted in 2021 by the Board of Supervisors to improve community health, welfare, safety, and trust.
Chairman Jeff Mckay of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is standing by this policy. In an interview with NBC Washington, Mckay restated his commitment to the policy and its importance in the community.
“What I’m going to be continually reiterating to folks is that county employees are not federal immigration officials,” Mckay said, adding that, “If we don’t have communication with our community, we can’t solve crimes. If we don’t have communication with all people in our community, victims of crimes will not come forward and report those, and that creates a public safety issue.”
Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) Superintendent Michelle Reid has also spoken out recently. FCPS has its own Trust policy, adopted in 2022, that guarantees information about FCPS families will not be shared with federal immigration officials.
In an interview with NBC Washington, Reid stated that FCPS schools would remain safe and described actions the school system is taking to further protect students.
“We know what is happening, and we guarantee to our families, our children, our staff that our schools are safe spaces,” Reid said.
Reid also asked FCPS principals to remind staff about the Trust Policy and how to respond if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents come to the school. While Homeland Security currently prevents ICE from going to schools, hospitals, or places of worship, FCPS is preparing in case this policy changes under the new Trump administration.
“Currently, [FCPS] policy says that if any immigration enforcement official were to come to school, the office is to contact our Office of Division Counsel for guidance,” Reid said.
Other school systems across the country have been training staff on what to do in these circumstances.
More information for immigrant families in Fairfax Country can be found on their website.
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/topics/immigrants-fairfax-county
