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Voting at Swanson Middle School in Westover in November 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) The ballot for the general election has been set, with three races to be decided by local voters.

Multiple candidates for Arlington County Board, School Board and the 8th Congressional District have qualified for the ballot. The first day of in-person early voting is Friday, Sept. 23 and the last day to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 17, according to Arlingtons election office.

8th Congressional District

In the 8th Congressional District Democratic primary, incumbent Rep. Don Beyer overcame challenger Victoria Virasingh. Beyer goes on to the general election to face the GOP nominee, Arlington resident Karina A. Lipsman, and independent candidate Teddy Fikre.

The seat for the 8th District, which encompasses Arlington, Alexandria, the City of Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County, has been held by a Democrat for decades. Beyer won a crowded primary for former Congressman Jim Morans seat in 2014 and the general election later that year.

Lipsman was nominated to take on the progressive establishment, said an email from the Arlington GOP after the nomination.

Lipsman, who is originally from Ukraine, outlines priorities such as supporting law enforcement, opposing tax increases, stopping illegal immigration and her stance against abortion on her website. She says she supports school choice and community colleges, technical schools and vocational training programs.

Among issues Beyer lists on his campaign website are climate change, housing, immigration, gun violence prevention, the federal workforce and others.

Fikres website says he is an IT project manager with an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, cares about inclusive justice and implementing policies that restore fairness in America and enacting laws that are rooted in love. Among issues hes focused on are making taxes voluntary for the working, middle and upper-middle-class, as well as forgiving all student loans.

Arlington County Board

Three familiar names are up for consideration for a County Board seat. Incumbent Matt de Ferranti was not challenged for the Democratic nomination.

During his tenure on the board, de Ferranti says he has focused on Covid response, racial equity and priorities like affordable housing, hunger, climate change and school funding.

Two independent candidates will also be on the ballot and not for their first time seeking a seat.

Independent Adam Theo, who is vice president of the Ballston-Virginia Square Civic Association, is running on a platform of expanding government accountability, prioritizing public safety and making housing affordable. Theo describes himself as a fierce non-partisan free-thinking progressive libertarian.' He was previously deployed to eastern Afghanistan while serving in the Air Force Reserve as a civil engineer.

This is Theos second time running for the County Board in as many years. Last year, he ran in a crowded County Board race for the seat that Democrat Takis Karantonis occupies.

Civic activist Audrey Clement is also running as an independent, seeking to reduce taxes, stop up-zoning, and preserve parks, trees and historic places. She said on her website shes running because the Board has pushed harmful policies resulting in: overcrowded schools, gentrification, loss of green space, and a 10 year average annual effective tax rate increase that is twice the rate of inflation.

The Westover resident has been a perennial candidate over the last decade or so and says she believes once people realize the Missing Middle housing push will rezone some neighborhoods, they will support a candidate like her.

Arlington School Board

After some commotion surrounding the Democratic endorsement for the School Board seat up for grabs, only two names will be on the ballot: James Vell Rives and Bethany Sutton.

The Arlington County Democratic Committee endorsed Sutton through its endorsement process, which saw a few changes this year in light of calls for a broader reform that were ultimately defeated.

Brandon Clark, a Gunston Middle School teacher, was also vying for the Democratic endorsement before he withdrew to run as an independent, claiming education shouldnt be partisan. But he has since withdrawn from the race altogether.

I decided to withdraw and focus on being a husband, father and teacher for the time being, he told ARLnow. I plan to be involved in advocating for educators as Chair of the Teachers Council on Instruction and through community engagement.

Sutton served on Randolph Elementary Schools PTA board for seven years, three of which she was president of the board. Since spring 2020, she has led the Randolph Food Pantry, a community-based volunteer effort to support families affected by the pandemic.

Rives is a psychiatrist and serves as co-chair of Arlington Public Schools School Health Advisory Board. His website asserts that as an independent, he is not indebted to any political party or interest group.

The Fairlington resident particularly wants to help as schools recover from the effects of the pandemic, keeping schools open so students can catch up on lost skills and ensuring that APS retains teachers.

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Here's who will be on the ballot for the November general election in Arlington - ARLnow

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Hundreds of migrants suspected to have entered the country illegally were seen Thursday wandering the side of a highway in Eagle Pass, Texas, a small town just east of the Rio Grande on the Mexican border, a video taken by Texas law enforcement showed.

Between August and May Border Patrol officers have paroled more than 207,000 migrants to avoid overcrowding in detention centers, a system started under the Biden administration.

It's unclear if the migrants seen in the video had been paroled.

Hundreds of migrants suspected to have entered the country illegally were seen this week wandering the side of a highway in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Law Enforcement Source/Bill Melugin)

By law, the Homeland Security Department may parole migrants "for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit." The Border Patrol says it turned to parole because it lacks holding space and resources are "overwhelmed."

The Border Patrol in Eagle Pass sends around 1,000 migrants every day to a nonprofit called Mission: Border Hope in the town.

COAST GUARD SENDS BACK 36 CUBAN NATIONALS INTERCEPTED NEAR FLORIDA KEYS

The area now rivals the Rio Grande Valley in illegal crossings.

People wait at a warehouse run by the Mission: Border Hope nonprofit group, in Eagle Pass, Texas, May 23, 2022. The Border Patrol releases up to 1,000 migrants daily at Mission: Border Hope. The nonprofit group, run by the United Methodist Church, outgrew a church and moved to the warehouse in April amid the Biden administration's rapidly expanding practice of releasing migrants on parole, particularly those who are not subject to a pandemic rule that prevents migrants from seeking asylum. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

In May, 51,132 migrants were paroled, a 28% increase from April, according tocourt records.

AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER: DOZENS OF MIGRANTS DETAINED AS BORDER PATROL CONTENDS WITH NIGHTLY INFLUX

People line up for a commercial bus that will take them to the San Antonio airport at a warehouse run by the Mission: Border Hope nonprofit group run by the United Methodist Church in Eagle Pass, Texas, May 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

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In the previous seven months before last August, only seven migrants had been paroled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Hundreds of migrants seen wandering on side of road in Texas amid illegal immigration surge - Fox News

Austin, TX, 3 hours ago Texas law enforcement has apprehended more than a quarter-million illegal aliens via Operation Lone Star, including thousands of criminal arrests and weapons seizures, according to a recent update from the office of Gov. Greg Abbott.

During the operation, there have been 264,000 migrant apprehensions and over 16,000 arrests of accused criminal aliens. There have been almost 14,000 felony charges filed.

The governors office also reported $41.5 million in currency seizures and more than 5,000 confiscations of weapons.

Abbott held a news conference at Anzalduas Park in Mission last week to address caravans approaching the southern border.

Fox News reported that the Mexican government disbursed a caravan of more than 10,000 individuals, most of whom are from Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, after offering thousands of them temporary Mexican visas. Many of them were still en route to the U.S. after receiving the documentation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported the highest number of enforcement encounters with illegal aliens in May than in any other month in the federal governments history.

Texas National Guard Maj. Gen. Ronald W. Burkett II commented on some of the infrastructural measures the state has taken.

The National Guard practices mass-migration responses both with and without DPS and law enforcement to demonstrate we have those capabilities at any time, day or night, Burkett said. Engineers are also responsible for establishing additional barriers to deter illegal migrant events. Nearly 40 miles of standard fencing have been erected, as well as 18 miles of concertina wire along the border.

Though Abbott has been criticized by those who say Operation Lone Star goes too far, he has also been deridedby critics who say he has done too little to deter illegal crossings.

In an interview with The Texan, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX-21) repeated his call for declaring illegal immigration an invasion and said that Abbott is responsible for handling the risk that goes with it.

Its a risk we need to take. Were talking about law enforcement which law enforcement would be open and amenable to it? Roy said. Talk to sheriffs in South Texas who are saying, You know what? Ill do it. Have we talked to people who might volunteer? Maybe theres veterans, maybe theres retired police officers.

The governor has contended that state officials enforcing immigration law could be ineffective and result in federal prosecutions. Roy argued that it is up to the state to find ways to protect those individuals from litigation.

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State Officials Have Arrested More Than 260000 Illegal Immigrants via Operation Lone Star - The Texan

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Wednesday that it conducted a national operation focusing on removing illegal immigrants who had been deported but then re-entered the U.S.

ICE said that its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) nabbed 119 illegal immigrants between June 1 and June 7 who had re-entered after a prior deportation. The agency said in a release that it focused on picking up those who had been removed within the last five years -- and who also meet the narrow priorities set by the Biden administration.

FEDERAL JUDGE STRIKES DOWN BIDEN ADMIN'S NARROWING OF ICE ARREST, DEPORTATION PRIORITIES

Those priorities were rolled out last year and restricts agents to three categories of illegal immigrant: recent border crossers, national security threats and aggravated felons or public safety threats.

ICE said that of those arrested, 110 had prior convictions for crimes including burglary, robbery, child molestation and drug trafficking.

"ICE is committed to the safe and effective enforcement of the nations immigration laws as our officers fulfill our important public safety mission," acting ICE Director Tae Johnson said in a statement. "This operation highlights the tremendous efforts of our officers to apply an organized and methodical approach to the identification, location, and arrest of noncitizens who are national security, public safety, or border security threats."

June 2, 2022: ICE agents conduct an enforcement operation in the U.S. interior. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

The narrowed priorities, first rolled out last year, caused pushback from Republicans who say they are too narrow and led to a dramatic reduction in deportations and arrests of those in the country illegally.

In FY 2021, which included the final months of the Trump administration, ICE arrested 74,082 noncitizens in FY 2021, and deported 59,011. Of the 74,082 arrests between October 2020 and October 2021, only 47,755 took place after Feb. 18 when the new priorities were implemented. Of removals, just 28,677 of the 59,011 deportations took place after Feb. 18.

ICE ISSUES POLICY TO CONSIDER IMMIGRANTS' MILITARY SERVICE BEFORE TAKING ENFORCEMENT ACTION

In FY 2020, there were 103,603 arrests and 185,884 removals. In FY 2019 the agency arrested 143,099 illegal immigrants and deported 267,258.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has indicated that the lower removals and arrests are a feature, not a bug, of the new policy.

"We have fundamentally changed immigration enforcement in the interior," Mayorkas declared in an interview with CBS News in January. "For the first time ever, our policy explicitly states that a non-citizen's unlawful presence in the United States will not, by itself, be a basis for the initiation of an enforcement action.

EX-ICE OFFICIALS PUSH BACK ON MAYORKAS CLAIM THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL BE DEPORTED PROMPTLY'

However, just days after the latest operation was conducted, a federal judge in Texas barred the administration from using the priorities, ruling that the guidance "provides a new basis on which aliens may avoid being subject to the enforcement of immigration law."

It is therefore a rule and subject also to the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and therefore subject to certain conditions, like a notice-and-comment period. He also said that the government fell short in reconciling the guidance with federal law, which demands the detention in certain situations.

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He said the government "offers an implausible construction of federal law that flies in the face of the limitations imposed by Congress."

"True, the Executive Branch has case-by-case discretion to abandon immigration enforcement as to a particular individual, he said. "This case, however, does not involve individualized decisionmaking. Instead, this case is about a rule that binds Department of Homeland Security officials in a generalized, prospective mannerall in contravention of Congresss detention mandate."

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, with a focus on immigration. He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter: @AdamShawNY

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ICE nabs 119 illegal immigrants, most with prior convictions, who had re-entered after being deported - Fox News

In early April, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott unveiled a controversial plan to send buses full of undocumented immigrants to Washington, D.C. The policy, Abbott said, would "help local officials whose communities are being overwhelmed by hordes of illegal immigrants."

But it turns out those communities might be stuck footing the hefty bill for Abbott's busing scheme. According to state records obtained by DallasFort Worth's NBC 5, bussing costs came out to over $1.6 million in April and May. With 1,154 migrants transported during that period, the per-rider cost was roughly $1,400.

That's far more expensive than a commercial bus or train ticket would've costa one-way journey from El Paso, Texas, to Washington, D.C., runs somewhere between $200 and $300 as of this article's writing. It's also more expensive than a first-class plane ticket from a border town to Washington, which NBC 5 reported ranged between $800 and $900. And it's more than the public spends on average to transport a student to school for an entire school year.

NBC 5 notes that costs are so high in part because the state has hired security guards to staff each bus. "Security-related expenses alone topped $1 million in the early weeks of the program, according to [Texas Division of Emergency Management] records," it explains. Costs are further inflated by the fact that buses drive back to Texas from Washington empty, having dropped off their passengers. Texas, however, gets billed for all total mileage.

The governor's office launched an online donation page to help fund the project after being "overwhelmed with phone calls, with letters, with requests" offering help. It also did so after mounting criticism that the effort would be funded by Texas taxpayers. But private donations have been minimal, totaling just $112,842 as of May 27. That discrepancy suggests taxpayers may end up on the hook for much of the busing bill.

The initiative's outcomes likely haven't been what Abbott desired, either. The political ripples in Washington have been minimal. And migrants themselves ended up better off, transported from the relatively remote border communities in Texas to D.C., where volunteers and immigrant advocacy organizations were ready to help. Organizers gathered at Washington's Union Station to welcome migrants, feed them, and connect them with housing and medical care. From The New York Times:

"In a way, it's actually perfect," said Bilal Askaryar, a spokesman for Welcome With Dignity, a collective of about 100 local and national groups that helps migrants. "Unintentionally, Governor Abbott sent them to one of the best places in the nation to welcome people."

Santo Linarte Lpez, a migrant from Nicaragua, had only $45 left from the $1,500 he had raised for his monthlong trip to the U.S. border. He said he did not understand why Mr. Abbott was paying for him to travel north, but he was grateful.

Abbott's busing plan is by no mean his only expensive anti-immigrant endeavor. He vowed last year to build a wall along his state's border with Mexico, initially transferring $250 million in state revenues to the project as a "down payment." A donation page for the wall has collected $55,322,273 as of May 27unlikely to make a significant dent, given that a section of former President Donald Trump's border wall in Texas came out to $27 million a mile. Abbott's border-securing mission, Operation Lone Star, costs taxpayers over $2.5 million per week. That effort also left hundreds of migrants in pretrial detention for weeks or months over misdemeanor trespassing charges, as Reason's Scott Shackford has reported.

Abbott has long used migrants as political pawns, and it looks as though taxpayers, too, will continue to be burdened with the costs of his immigration enforcement plans.

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Texas Governor Abbott's Very Expensive Plan To Bus Migrants to DC - Reason