Tag: immigration

Resident Spotlight: Afghan refugee finds solace through helping fellow immigrants

By Olivia Anderson | [email protected] Faheem Ahmad moved to the City of Alexandria several years ago as an Afghan refugee. The process was grueling, extensive...

Alexandria holds naturalization ceremony

By Olivia Anderson | [email protected] The City of Alexandria held its first in-person annual Citizenship Day celebration on Tuesday in Market Square, where 25 candidates...

Afghan refugees face job struggles

By Olivia Anderson | [email protected] When the United States closed the last of our military bases in Afghanistan last summer after more than 20 years in...

Our View: Vive la Ukraine

One of the wonders of life is that the worst of times often bring out the best in people. The U.S. Marshall Plan, a massive...

Our View: Aiding Afghan refugees is a love story

This is a love story with many facets. Not romantic love as in “Love Story” the movie, but rather the love of one neighbor for...

RAFT volunteers work around the clock to support Afghan refugees

By Olivia Anderson | [email protected] In late July 2021, a friend strongly urged Arafat Safi to flee his home in Afghanistan. Rumblings of a Taliban takeover...

Your Views: Silence makes us complicit with ICE actions

To the editor: ICE threatens massive raids targeting families. Alexandria immigrant communities live in fear even when massive raids haven’t happened yet. The rhetoric of...

My View: New Americans make big contributions

By Heather Peeler This summer, ACT for Alexandria engaged residents, donors and nonprofit leaders to understand their vision for Alexandria and the ways in which...

Letter to the Editor: Concerns about sheriff’s continued cooperation with ICE

To the editor: We continue to question the practice of holding detainees in the Alexandria jail beyond their legal custody period in order to transfer...

Alexandria Sheriff’s Office makes changes to ICE agreement

By Missy Schrott | [email protected]  The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office now requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take custody of inmates at the Alexandria Detention Center...