'Alien harboring' accusations fly as DC-area county spends taxpayer funds to blunt ICE

FIRST ON FOX: A Virginia county is under fire for a new policy providing taxpayer funds in the form of grants to families of illegal immigrants whose breadwinner was detained or deported by ICE.Arlington County, which sits just across Washington, D.C., is not new to policies critics say interfere with DHS operations, as it previously caused outrage when the chair of the Arlington County Board publicly suggested residents call police to report ICE sightings in January."If you look at the alien harboring statute -- do you do anything to encourage or induce people to either come illegally or that are illegally here to stay, that could be arguably a violation of the alien harboring statute?" former acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey told Fox News Digital in a Wednesday interview.DOJ THREATENS TO CUT BILLIONS IN WELFARE FUNDING FROM STATES FOR FAILING TO REPORT ILLEGAL MIGRANTSArlington Countuy Board of Supervisors (from left to right): Julius D."JD" Spain, Sr., Susan Cunningham, Takis Karantonis, Board Chair Matt de Ferranti and Vice Chair Maureen Coffey.

(Arlington County)"By giving money to people … the reasonable inference is that these people are also illegal, the money enables them to stay in the country illegally, because they lost their breadwinner," Fahey said.He said Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz’s comments to ARLNow that many of the affected families are "unbanked" – or lack access to financial institutions which statutorily require identification to open deposit accounts, is itself a tell.TAXPAYER-FUNDED HOUSING FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN GOP'S CROSSHAIRS: 'IT'S GOT TO STOP'Several illegal immigrants are arrested by ICE officers in the D.C.area.

(Courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security)"That shows the county knows the money is going to be going to people that are illegally here and it will help them stay.So that's where I think the Alien Harboring Statute comes into play," he said, adding the county shows "reckless disregard" for the ...