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With a firestorm over illegal immigration raging across the country, the Norfolk sheriff has been quietly working with federal authorities for more than a year to lock up hundreds of suspected illegal immigrants in the city jail. Since September 2017, Sheriff Joe Baron has held more than 1,200 people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, all while the embattled federal agency fought blowback and withstood calls from high-level officials for it to be abolished. The cooperation came as a surprise to other elected officials in Norfolk. So far, Norfolk City Council members have kept the issue out of the public eye. After saying the council needed to be a part of the conversation, the mayor did nothing to push that discussion into the public sphere. On Wednesday, Mayor Kenny Alexander said none of his fellow council members, after learning about the ICE detainees, asked to have a discussion about the issue at a meeting. Instead, they spoke privately with Baron and each other. The consensus among them, the mayor said, was that Baron was elected to run the jail and what he was doing was legal — enough said.
The Virginian-Pilot
City staff recently told Norfolk council members in a closed-door meeting that the city may need to consider alternatives to its long-running recycling program due to climbing costs. Several council members confirmed the discussion happened, but no decision has been made.
The Virginian-Pilot
Martinsville City Attorney Eric Monday surprisingly withdrew from consideration for a judgeship in the 21st Judicial District, saying attacks on his candidacy had destroyed his desire to serve. Monday announced his decision Thursday afternoon in a statement he emailed to the Bulletin, ending a tumultuous week in which he and three colleagues seemed certain to be approved by the General Assembly. “For the last two weeks there has been a well-organized campaign by people grinding very rusty, old axes, to attack my character, professional reputation and competency to be a judge,” Monday wrote in his statement. “This campaign was also designed to tarnish my ‘legitimacy,’ in the event that I was actually selected. It is apparent to me that this campaign has at least partially succeeded.” Several lawyers said, in addition to opposition expressed by the two bar associations, they understand some members of the public contacted legislators to express their opposition to Monday being elected judge.
Martinsville Bulletin
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