Covering Annandale, Bailey's Crossroads, Lincolnia, and Seven Corners in Fairfax County, Virginia

FCPS says schools are safe in wake of ICE raids

A newsletter from Woodburn Elementary School ensures parents that “schools are safe” and aren’t expected to be targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Children who live in the Fairmont Gardens apartments in Annandale, where there have been ICE raids in recent days, attend Woodburn. The raids have led to fear among the … Continued

State legislative action presented at Town Hall

Del. Kaye Kory and Sen. Dave Marsden speak at a Town Hall meeting on state legislation. Actions at the federal level are grabbing the headlines but the Virginia General Assembly has been making important decisions with widespread implications for state residents. State lawmakers representing the Annandale/Mason District area—Sen. Dave Marsden, Del. Kaye Kory, and Sen. … Continued

Local advocacy groups denounce Trump ban on immigrants and refugees

Korean-Americans at Dulles Airport. [NAKASEC] Local organizations that aid immigrants have denounced President Trump’s executive order temporarily banning immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees from any country. Those groups, along with elected officials, including Rep. Gerry Connolly, Rep. Don Beyer, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and Attorney General Mark Herring, participated in a protest against … Continued

Local student wins big

Radford University’s Student Management Investment Portfolio Organization. Giancarla Rojas is in the bottom row on the right. Falls Church High school graduate and “dreamer” Giancarla Rojas Mendoza is the member of a Radford University team that won first place in a national investment competition. Two years ago, Rojas, then 18, was struggling to afford college, … Continued

Just Neighbors relocating from Bailey’s Crossroads to Annandale

This former church building is part of the campus of Annandale United Methodist Church. Just Neighbors, a nonprofit organization that helps immigrants and refugees, is moving from its offices in Bailey’s Crossroads to the Immanuel Methodist Church building at 7901 Heritage Drive in Annandale. The organization is currently located in the Bailey’s International Center at … Continued

Possibility of ICE raids spreading fear among local immigrants

A briefing briefing denouncing ICE raids with, from the left: Manuel Castro, Arnoldo Borja, Juan Osorio, Edgar Aranda-Yanoc, and Dae Joong Yoon. The Obama Administration’s new policy to step up deportations of undocumented individuals is creating a climate of fear among the local immigrant population. The National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and … Continued

March to White House focuses on immigration relief

Local immigrant rights groups led a march from Arlington Courthouse Plaza to the White House Nov. 20 to urge the federal government to support policies to allow eligible immigrants to stay and work in the United States without fear of deportation. The march commemorated the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s announcement to expand Deferred Action … Continued