As one of the constant threats from the second Trump administration, especially for the many immigrants and first generation Americans in the county, is ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) activity and presence. Seen all across the country harassing anyone the suspect is an immigrant based on looks or accents, as well as the previous murder of two white Americans in Minnesota who were trying to protect their neighbors, the issue has not gone away. And many are rightfully afraid of being abducted and deported at a moment's notice. For many, preventing any collaboration between ICE and any local police is the bare minimum. The active collaboration with ICE and police in DC only makes this fear all the more present. While Arlington County ended voluntary collaboration with ICE in January 2025, other localities like Alexandria have continued this practice. Federal intervention is also needed to effectively disrupt ICE's current activities and hopefully lead to the abolition of the rogue agency. Until then, greater oversight of them and protection from them will have to do for now.

From groceries, utilities, gasoline, to rent and housing costs, the cost of living is being felt more than ever now. Recent inflation as well as, in some sectors in particular, corporate greed have pushed prices higher and higher month after month and year after year with no sign of stopping anytime soon without proper intervention. This has become a crisis for working class people as we continue to try to make the math work for rises costs on the same wages. From the local level to the federal level, new and effective policies for returning to and preserving sustainable levels of affordability are needed and urgently. Otherwise, residents risk being priced out of where they live as one of many ways they seek to find cheaper ways to live.

Healthcare in particular remains of the biggest expenses for people everywhere in the country. One medical emergency without health insurance or adequate savings can mean financial ruin for many if not all working class people. As such, the push for a federal policy of Medicare for All, AKA universal healthcare, is still just as relevant as it was a decade ago. While the goal is federal policy, localities and local officials have also been asked to sign onto calls showing their own support as well as the support of their residents for the eventual passage of this policy.

In the aftermath of the declared ceasefire in Gaza, states and localities have been looking for ways to cement divestment from Israel and Israeli bonds have been an area of increased attention. It is seen as a minimal cost for states and localities as they can instead invest their money in other businesses and countries to recoup any financial loses. Instead, this is seen as a moral issue and a way to deny support to Israel after they have intensified their genocide against Palestinians since October 7th, 2023. In Virginia, divestment from the Virginia Israeli Advisory Board (VIAB) in particular is a focus since it currently gets subsidized by Virginia. VIAB is known for helping Israeli businesses set up locations in Virginia with grants and federal from the funding they receive courtesy of tax payer funding. Divestment from Israeli bonds as part of the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) for public sector employees is also relevant. Counties and other localities are also being pressured to divest from any Israeli businesses they currently have funds invested in.

Funding the police is related to the larger discussion of public safety and shows if candidates support more of a punitive approach to safety instead of addressing the root causes. We need to invest in alternatives to policing address crime without imprisoning people, like violence interruptor programs, moving the police’s tasks to more appropriate agencies (e.g. mental health crises, traffic enforcement), and investing in social programs that address people’s unmet needs.

Virginia is notorious for its overall lack of tenant protections, especially when compared to neighboring DC and Maryland. Due to being a Dillon's rule state, localities are barred from engaging in most efforts to provide additional protections to their tenants such as establishing local rent stabilization laws. However, that does not mean that nothing can be done to protect tenats locally. Similarly, federal represenatives can seek to pash stronger federal tenant protections that would benefit Virginians and the rest of the country alike.