Last week, Jorge Garcia was deported to Mexico after living in the United States for 30 years, arriving illegally with his parents when he was 10. A few days later, Lukasz Niec was arrested and faces deportation to Poland, a country he emigrated from when he was 3, because of a 1992 misdemeanor arrest for property damage. A nationwide crackdown on immigrant communities is underway, but in Arlington, at least one anonymous resident has been working in opposition. At its Jan. 27 meeting, the Arlington County Board will consider an anonymous $7,000 donation from a local resident to pay part of the filing fee for the naturalization application.

According to the staff report, the Citizenship and Immigration Services charges $725 to process an Application for Naturalization. Although the fee is waived for applicants who earn less than 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and reduces it for those whose income is between 151 percent and 200 percent, some applicants still have difficulty paying for their application.

If the donation is accepted by the County Board, the Department of Human Services will advertise the scholarship and eligibility requirements. Those at 151 to 200 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines could be eligible for a $200 scholarship. Those at 201 to 250 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines could be eligible for a $360 scholarship. Applicants for the scholarship will also be required to demonstrate proficiency in English, have a documented medical exception, or meet residency or age exceptions.

Those interested in a scholarship application must make an appointment with a Department of Human Services Specialist at the Arlington Community Mill Outreach Program. No personally identifiable information required for the procedure will be reported.