Arlington County Board Member J. Walter Tejada spoke out against House Bill 570, according to the Washington Post and in the Associated Press. Joining a press conference with the Virginia Alliance for Sensible Community Police Efforts, Tejada said that "we are in favor of stopping terrorism, gang activity and drug trafficking, but what this law will do is make a vulnerable community" even more vulnerable." He also stated that misinformation about the law has caused fear among immigrants. A possible consequence, he said, is that immigrants "will not report crime."
The Virginia Alliance is "a coalition of advocates and community leaders [who] encouraged immigrants to continue to cooperate with local police departments on criminal investigations despite a new Virginia law allowing them to detain some illegal immigrants without a warrant." The Washington Post reported that "the law, which will take effect July 1, allows police to arrest and hold illegal immigrants who return to this country after being convicted of felonies and deported. Police will be able to hold suspects as long as 72 hours without bond while waiting for federal immigration agents to pick them up."
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