The Arlington County prosecutor’s office has accused Republicans of perpetuating a “political sham” in response to a report released by the House Judiciary Committee criticizing a policy that allows certain undocumented immigrants to avoid deportation after DUI convictions.
Arlington County Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti defended the policy, stating it ensures individuals with DACA status receive appropriate sanctions for drunk driving offenses without facing deportation. The policy requires prosecutors to consider immigration status when determining penalties, aiming to prevent disproportionate consequences of DUI convictions.
The House Judiciary Committee accused Dehghani-Tafti of threatening public safety by allowing criminal aliens—including murderers, terrorists, and sex traffickers—to evade deportation through the policy. Committee documents cited internal prosecution policies indicating that some DACA recipients accused of drunk driving could be deported if their cases were not handled with special consideration.
In response, Dehghani-Tafti stated: “The authors of this report are confident, but wrong. Wrong about Virginia law, wrong about county policy, wrong about our office’s policies and their impact, and wrong about the cases they cite.” She also accused the committee of refusing to hold a public hearing and stonewalling requests for her deposition transcript, demanding immediate release of the full, unedited document.
A Democratic-led board of Arlington County denied the allegations, asserting that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal authorities and that county policies have remained lawful.
