Two key public safety leaders openly raised concerns last night (Tuesday) about a County Board vote to end the use of Flock license-plate readers.
“There are some crimes that, without this, will not be solved,” Police Chief Andy Penn told Board members, responding to a Sept. 15 vote to discontinue the use of 41 Flock Safety cameras around the county.
A successful advocacy effort to keep Cherrydale Library open earlier this year has received honors from the Virginia Library Association.
The organization gave the Citizens for Cherrydale Library its 2026 Advocacy Award for lobbying county leaders to turn back from plans to shutter the library during the local government’s fiscal year 2027 budget process.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
Temporary Protected Status is supposed to be temporary. Congress built it that way on purpose. Congress also built it to be predictable, so that the people who rely on it, and the employers who hire them, know where they stand. Congress also did that on purpose. The statute sets deadlines and requires the government to publish its decisions.
In September, the unstoppable force of TPS elimination met the immovable object of “Here come the midterms!” and the Trump Administration simply blinked, but in such a way that nobody will be happy: neither the federal judiciary, nor immigration hawks, nor, God knows, TPS beneficiaries themselves.
How TPS is supposed to work
The TPS statute, 8 U.S.C. § 1254a, is not complicated. At least 60 days before a country’s designation expires, the Secretary of Homeland Security must review conditions in that country. He must then decide whether to extend or terminate the designation, and publish that decision in the Federal Register. A termination cannot take effect until at least 60 days after that notice is published.
Congress also anticipated a Secretary who doesn’t get around to deciding. Here is the text, in relevant part (our highlights in bold):
If the Attorney General does not determine under subparagraph (A) that a foreign state no longer meets the conditions for designation under paragraph (1) by the time required under such subparagraph, the period of designation of the foreign state is extended for an additional period of 6 months (or, in the discretion of the Attorney General, a period of 12 or 18 months).
El Salvador: 25 years, and then nothing
El Salvador has been designated for TPS since the earthquakes of 2001. Its most recent extension, published in January 2025, ran through September 9, 2026. The deadline for the Secretary’s decision was therefore July 11, 2026.
July 11 came and went, and so did September 9, with no Federal Register notice of any kind. Instead, the USCIS El Salvador TPS page now carries this alert:
An announcement on El Salvador’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection including work authorization.
“At the appropriate time.” The appropriate time was July 11!
Our reading of the statute is that El Salvador’s designation has been extended by operation of law, for at least six months, to March 9, 2027. The government hasn’t said so, and it may claim that a termination decision was made quietly and never announced. Even on that theory, the statute requires that a termination be published, and it cannot take effect until 60 days after publication. Either way, no Salvadoran TPS holder should lose status without at least 60 days’ public notice in the Federal Register.
A new Thai restaurant made its debut in the Williamsburg neighborhood last week and is already building buzz among locals.
After more than two years of preparations, Singha Thai soft opened in the Williamsburg Shopping Center on Sept. 15. Tucked into a snug 639 square feet at 2900 N. Sycamore Street, the restaurant is serving up dishes like pad Thai, drunken noodles, panang curry and the Singha noodle — a house combination of the pad Thai and drunken noodle recipes.
Please join us in congratulating Benny Mirpuri, owner of Fast-Fix Jewelry and Watch Repair at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, on reaching an incredible 35 years in business.
For three and a half decades, Benny has proudly served the Pentagon City and surrounding communities, providing quality jewelry and watch repair services along with the exceptional customer service that has made Fast-Fix a trusted local business.
A new spot for homemade ice cream, specialty cupcakes and other sweet treats has opened its doors in Falls Church.
Lil’ Cakes & Creamery opened at 120 Founders Avenue, on Founders Row, earlier this month. So far, a store employee told ARLnow, the business’s deluxe cupcakes have been particularly popular — with flavors like pumpkin salted caramel cheesecake, caramel apple pie crisp and maple pecan praline.
Join us for a 5k (~3 mile) fun run/walk around the neighborhood followed by an outdoor yoga session next to Reclining Liberty!
The artist behind Reclining Liberty made a shirt for this day only. It comes with every run and yoga ticket — or take one on its own for $25.
A K9 specialized in detecting electronic storage devices is coming to the Arlington County Police Department through a unique partnership.
Board members on Sept. 19 authorized the county manager to accept the donation of a Labrador retriever from OUR Rescue, which has sponsored more than 150 placements worldwide.
Arlington’s tax-delinquency rate ticked up slightly over the past year, but remains at a level the county’s new treasurer says is not cause for worry.
The county’s 0.2% delinquency rate for fiscal year 2026 was up just a hair from 0.18% in 2025 and 0.17% in 2024, Treasurer Kim Rucker told ARLnow on Sept. 21.
County Board candidates tackled questions on immigration, residential parking and housing during a Sept. 21 forum sponsored by the Lyon Village Citizens’ Association.
County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti acknowledged there’s next to nothing Arlington officials can do to intervene in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps across Northern Virginia.
County Could Still Over Arch — County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti (D) called President Trump’s plan, announced Sunday, to add drones, snipers and ammunition to the arch “deeply unsettling.” “The Board previously authorized the County Attorney to file a lawsuit regarding the proposed construction,” he said. [Washington Times]
Arch Drones Raise DCA Concerns — “Even not knowing how often these things are going to be used, it would certainly increase the risk of a collision with a commercial airliner,” a former FAA and NTSB accident investigator said of drones at Memorial Circle. Preservationists also say a required federal review can’t move forward. [Washington Post]
Pentagon City Robbery Arrest — A suspect who allegedly left a store in the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street without paying “physically assaulted the employee until police arrived” after being confronted Monday evening, police say. A man, 29, from Capitol Heights, Md., was arrested and charged with robbery and drug possession. [ACPD]
New Signal Pole Knocked Down — “The brand new traffic signal infrastructure took a hit when a pole came down in the latest upper Columbia Pike crash… This one was at S. Rolfe Street.” The crash happened yesterday morning, and the signal switched to flashing red afterward. [Dave Statter/X]
Marymount Tops Virginia Privates — Marymount University ranked No. 1 among Virginia private institutions in U.S. News & World Report’s 2027 Best Colleges rankings, according to the university. Its nursing program “jumped 42 spots and retained the best mark among Virginia’s private institutions.” [Press Release]
White House Flyover Today — From AlertDC: “The US Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over the White House on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at approximately 5PM.”
Tribes Quit Bay Partnership Bid — “Seven federally recognized Native American tribes are ending their bid to formally join the Chesapeake Bay cleanup, saying they have been disappointed by the response from Bay Program leaders.” Tribal leaders say they were denied signatory status, a voting seat held by the bay states and D.C. [Virginia Mercury]
Frost Squeezes Va. Wineries — “April’s devastating freeze, which walloped the local apple season, is now reshaping what Virginia wineries make — and what wine lovers will eventually find in tasting rooms, shops and restaurants.” Middleburg’s Boxwood Estate Winery lost more than 90% of its white varietals. [Axios]
It’s Wednesday — Rain is likely before 5 p.m. today, with cloudy skies, a high near 65 and northeast winds of 10–14 mph gusting as high as 25 mph. Skies stay mostly cloudy tonight with a low around 54. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 22, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect rain in the morning before 7 a.m., with cloudy skies and a high near 65°F throughout the day. Northeast winds will be about 11 mph, gusting up to 25 mph, with a 60% chance of rain accumulating between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 53°F and northeast winds at 10 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
– Nelson Mandela
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
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The League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City will host Candidating for the general election on Sunday, Oct. 4, from 1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. at Walter Reed Recreation Center, 2909 16th St. S.
The event gives Arlington residents the opportunity to speak directly with the candidates seeking county office this November.
