Wednesday, Feb.18 — Speaking to a meeting of Democratic Party leaders in the City of Falls Church tonight, Arlington-Falls Church Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said the first meeting of nine state and regional prosecutors, of which she is one, from across the U.S. under the auspices of “the Fight Against Federal Overreach” met together in Washington D.C. last week to begin to coordinate a national response to the kinds of things federal ICE agents have done in Minneapolis and other places.

       “We’ve prepared to counter ICE efforts to remove cases from local jurisdictions, we’ve prepared evidence portals for citizens to use, and in terms of ICE efforts to interfere in elections this year, we’re reaching out to electoral boards with fact sheets and other means to defend the sanctity of our elections,” she said.        

       “Upholding the rule of law is my job,” stressed. She said also intends to follow up with the Falls Church Police Department which “has never been a problem for us,” she added.

       “Overall,” she added, “it is hard to see what is happening to the rule of law in the country right now, to see an entire sex trafficking ring excluded from the rule of law and pardons being issued to leaders of massive drug trafficking operations.”

       She said that data is showing the success of her prosecutorial approach to Arlington and Falls Church of reverting to diversion programs for non-violent first offenders. The data is being compiled, she said, to show that compared to earlier efforts, hers has led to a major decline in recidivism, or repeat offenders, by 22 percent over the last five years, while her office is now winning “by a lot” a higher majority of trial cases that focus on more serious crimes as the recourses of her office can be put to that end.  She said an event is being set for May when this data will be made fully public.