March 6, 2025 (Washington, D.C.) – Rep. Beyer today issued the following statement on ICE activities in Northern Virginia this week:

“We must be able to enforce the law and protect the public without creating a climate of fear. This week’s ICE enforcement activities in Northern Virginia were designed to instill fear and generate photo ops for Secretary Noem, not to make us safer.

“I am deeply concerned about the chilling effect these raids are having on law-abiding contributors to our society, particularly on children. I have always opposed and condemned family separation, but there is also great harm done when families are afraid to send their children to school or to seek basic medical care at a clinic or hospital because they fear these locations will be targets of ICE raids. I worked with colleagues to draft and introduce the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act to restore a sense of safety in these vital public spaces, and this legislation is extremely important to our community.

“I will keep meeting with organizations working to support and defend immigrant communities who are an essential to the National Capital Region, and I urge Northern Virginians to review and remind their neighbors of their constitutional rights.”

Last month Rep. Beyer met with local leaders and immigrant defense organizations to coordinate efforts to protect the rights of Northern Virginia immigrant communities.