Policy News You Should Know: Weekly Advocacy Brief (Week of July 28, 2025)

Early Voting in District 11 Special Election, Undocumented Crime Witnesses Versus Courthouse ICE Threats, NASW Immigration Took Kit

• Social Workers Urged to Vote to Advance Social Work Values/Priorities in Special Congressional Election 

• Crime Victims Face Potential Retraumatization When Undocumented Witnesses Fear Testifying Due to ICE Detention Threat

• NASW Child Migrant Protection Toolkit Outlines Actions You Can Take to Protect Detained Minors

•  Call to Action for NOVA Social Workers: Sign Petitions to School Boards to Protect Trans Students

VOTING: It’s time to vote, northern Virginia social workers! Early in-person voting began Friday, July 25 in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District to choose the congressional successor to the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), who represented the City of Fairfax and Fairfax County since 2009. Candidates are James Walkinshaw (D), Connolly’s former chief of staff and a leader on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, versus Stewart Whitson (R), an avid supporter of President Trump who touts eliminating the “radical Woke agenda in schools and government agencies.” Early voting continues through Sept. 6, and the deadline for mail-in applications is Aug. 29. Election Day is Tuesday, Sept. 9. You must have registered to vote by Sept. 2. Contact your local registrar’s office for more info or to find satellite locations.

IMMIGRATION: Immigration and Border Control (ICE) arrests throughout Virginia may be impacting court cases of crime victims with undocumented witnesses who are too frightened of potential detention to come to court to testify, according to immigration attorney Jessica Wright in a July 25 Axios article. Courthouse-based arrests have been documented in Chesterfield, Midlothian, Charlottesville, and northern Virginia, in particular, when many migrants “who have done everything right” go for routine check-ins to confirm their current address and lack of criminal charges. Wright now recommends that her clients do not attend check-ins without an accompanying lawyer. Read NASW’s Near Certain Cataclysmic Consequences of a Mass Deportation Program to understand more about the nature and consequences of deporting as many as 15 million people.

IMMIGRATION: Make a difference by taking action via NASW’s Child Migrant Protection Toolkit! The kit serves both social workers working with this vulnerable population and others called to fight for the mental and physical protection of detainees and deportees who are minors. “The inhumane treatment of these children offends the conscience of our profession,” writes our organization. “NASW is working on a number of fronts to address this humanitarian crisis, including meeting with key congressional leaders and participating in numerous immigration-related coalitions. Social workers must continue to be on the front line in fighting to protect these children’s welfare.” The kit includes background on bills to help migrants; a form letter you can send to Gov. Youngkin and state legislators to urge them to take action; NASW Social Justice Briefs, statements and research regarding immigration; and links to NASW partner organizations.  

Call to Action--LGBTQIA2S+: Social workers in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County, and Prince William County are invited to sign the petitions below to their local school boards, urging them to “fight back to protect the safety and well-being of transgender youth.” Virginia Equality, ACLU of Virginia, Fairfax County Public Schools Pride, and other NASW Virginia allies continue to advocate for transgender students in Northern Virginia who are under attack from the Trump and Youngkin administrations. Make your voice heard!

Arlington - https://tinyurl.com/ArlingtonStudents

Alexandria - https://tinyurl.com/AlexandriaStudents

Fairfax County - https://tinyurl.com/FairfaxStudents

Prince William - https://tinyurl.com/PrinceWilliamStudents