Virginia LULAC Thanks Arlington County for Standing With Immigrant Families
Updated: 1 day ago
ARLINGTON, Va. — Virginia LULAC extends its sincere gratitude to the Arlington County Board for committing $50,000 to provide emergency financial assistance to Arlington households that have lost a primary wage earner as a result of recent federal immigration enforcement activity.
The program will allow qualifying families to receive up to $2,000 in emergency assistance to help meet basic needs during a period of sudden financial hardship.
For Virginia LULAC, this investment represents something larger than $50,000.
It represents a recognition that Arlington's immigrant families are Arlington families and that we belong.
Immigrants Are Part of the Fabric of Arlington
Arlington has long been shaped by people who came to the United States from around the world.
Today, more than one in five Arlington residents is foreign-born, reflecting the extraordinary diversity of the community. Nearly three in ten Arlington residents age five and older speak a language other than English at home. Source:https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/local-spotlight/immigrants-in-arlington-county/
These residents are our neighbors, parents, students, workers, business owners and community leaders.
And their contributions to Arlington are substantial.
New research from the American Immigration Council, prepared in partnership with Arlington County and the Arlington Community Foundation, found that immigrants represented approximately 21.9 percent of Arlington's population in 2024 but 22.4 percent of its employed labor force. Source: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/local-spotlight/immigrants-in-arlington-county/
Immigrants also play an especially important role in industries Arlington relies upon every day. In 2024, immigrants represented approximately 54 percent of Arlington's transportation and warehousing workers, 38.9 percent of its construction workers and 36.3 percent of its hospitality workers.
They are also represented throughout Arlington's professional economy, including approximately 18 percent of workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
These numbers tell an important story: Arlington's immigrant community is not separate from Arlington's economy. It is part of Arlington's economy.
Nearly $1 Billion in Taxes
The economic contributions are equally significant.
According to the American Immigration Council's 2026 analysis, Arlington's immigrant households paid approximately $979 million in taxes in 2024 and held approximately $2.3 billion in spending power. Source: https://vera-institute.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/publications/Arlington_County_Factsheet.pdf?dm=1784653570
Immigrants in Arlington also contributed approximately $324.9 million to Social Security and $89.7 million to Medicare in 2024.
These are families who work here, pay taxes, purchase goods and services, support local businesses and contribute to the economic vitality of the community.
The research also challenges the idea that Arlington's immigrant population is predominantly new or transient. Approximately 78 percent of Arlington's immigrants had already lived in the United States for more than five years as of 2024.
Separate research published in 2025 estimated that approximately 51,700 immigrants lived in Arlington County and that at least 8,100 Arlington homes were owned by immigrants.
Immigrants have put down roots here.
This Is Also About Arlington's Children
Behind the economic statistics are families and children.
A 2025 profile of Arlington's immigrant population estimated that approximately 14,900 children in Arlington have at least one immigrant parent, representing roughly three out of every eight children in the county. Source:https://vera-institute.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/publications/Arlington_County_Factsheet.pdf?dm=1784653570
Importantly, approximately 83 percent of those children were themselves born in the United States.
That matters when discussing the consequences of immigration enforcement.
When a parent or primary wage earner is suddenly removed from a household, the consequences do not end with that individual.
Children can lose the income that keeps a roof over their heads. A family can suddenly struggle to afford groceries, utilities or transportation. A household that was financially stable can find itself facing an emergency virtually overnight.
Rent still has to be paid.
The lights still have to stay on.
Groceries still have to be purchased.
Children still have to get to school.
Families still need stability.
That is why emergency assistance can make such an important difference.
$50,000 Matters
Virginia LULAC recognizes that $50,000 cannot address every challenge facing immigrant families in Arlington or throughout Northern Virginia.
But every meaningful response has to begin somewhere.
Providing up to $2,000 in emergency assistance can help a family remain housed, keep utilities connected, purchase groceries or navigate the immediate financial consequences of suddenly losing its primary source of income.
More importantly, this initiative sends a message from Arlington County to families experiencing an extraordinarily difficult moment:
Your community has not forgotten you.
“This investment tells families experiencing fear and uncertainty that Arlington still sees them as part of this community, that they belong,” said Christopher Concepcion, State Director of Virginia LULAC. “When a family loses its primary wage earner, that loss does not happen in isolation. Children, spouses and entire households experience the consequences. We are grateful that Arlington County recognized that reality and chose to respond with compassion and tangible assistance.”
Recognizing Arlington Thrive
Virginia LULAC also extends its appreciation to Arlington Thrive for administering this emergency assistance.
Community organizations are often where public policy becomes real for families.
A $50,000 appropriation ultimately becomes a family's rent payment, groceries, utilities or another immediate necessity.
That partnership between local government and trusted community organizations is particularly important when families may be experiencing uncertainty about where they can safely seek assistance.
We thank Arlington Thrive and its staff for helping turn this investment into direct support for Arlington residents.
Arlington's Diversity Is One of Its Strengths
Arlington's immigrant story is not new.
The County's own historical demographic records show that immigration has helped shape Arlington for decades. In 2000, more than a quarter of Arlington residents were foreign-born, and Arlington's foreign-born population had grown four times faster than the county's overall population during the preceding decade.
Today's Arlington continues to reflect that international character.
The County estimates its population at approximately 244,300 residents in 2026. Nearly one-third of Arlington households speak a language other than English at home.
These are not simply demographic statistics.
They represent thousands of individual stories: families building new lives, entrepreneurs opening businesses, workers supporting critical industries, students sitting in Arlington classrooms, homeowners investing in neighborhoods and residents contributing to the civic life of their community.
Virginia LULAC believes that Arlington is strongest when all of those families know they belong.
Thank You, Arlington
Virginia LULAC extends its sincere appreciation to Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti and Board Members Maureen Coffey, Takis Karantonis, and JD Spain, who voted unanimously among those present to approve the $50,000 in emergency assistance for families affected by recent immigration enforcement.
Board Member Susan Cunningham was unable to attend the meeting and therefore did not participate in the vote, but we also recognize and appreciate her continued commitment to serving all of Arlington's residents and families. Source: https://www.arlnow.com/2026/09/08/families-of-wage-earners-detained-by-ice-to-receive-up-to-2k-from-arlington-county/
The 4-0 vote created a program that will provide tangible assistance to Arlington families who have suddenly lost a primary wage earner, helping households meet essential needs such as housing, food, and utilities during a period of significant uncertainty.
Virginia LULAC thanks the entire Arlington County Board for its leadership and the members present for taking action to ensure families facing an unexpected crisis know that their community stands with them.
We recognize that communities across the country are having difficult conversations about immigration and the role of local government. Those conversations will continue.
But there should also be room to recognize a simple human reality: when a household suddenly loses its primary source of income, children and families can face immediate hardship.
Responding to that hardship helps preserve family stability and community stability.
Arlington's immigrant residents have spent decades contributing to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of this county. They work in Arlington's restaurants, construction sites, transportation systems, offices and technology companies. They own homes and businesses. They pay taxes. They raise children here. And they call Arlington home.
At Virginia LULAC, we believe those contributions deserve to be recognized.
To the Arlington County Board: thank you for standing with families during a moment of uncertainty.
To Arlington Thrive: thank you for transforming this investment into assistance that families can use when they need it most.
And to Arlington's immigrant families:
You are our neighbors. You are part of this community. And you are not alone.
Virginia LULAC looks forward to continuing to work alongside Arlington County, Arlington Thrive and community partners to ensure that every family in Arlington has the opportunity to live with dignity, stability and a sense of belonging.
Gracias, Arlington.
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About Virginia LULAC
Virginia LULAC is the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.
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