‘Centrist’ Spanberger doubles down on sanctuary extremism

Published March 4, 2026 2:00pm ET



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Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) campaigned as a “centrist,” mainstream Democrat, with a focus on “democracy” and “affordability.” Since her party won unchecked power in last year’s election, it has charged into the culture war fights, rammed through a breathtaking and likely illegal partisan gerrymandering scheme to consolidate its power, and introduced a dizzying array of new tax increases. In the earliest hours of her governorship, Spanberger signed an executive order reversing the common-sense immigration enforcement policies of her predecessor, Republican Glenn Youngkin. Per the Department of Homeland Security, she signed an executive order barring the Virginia State Police from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take criminal illegal immigrants off Virginia streets. Her office proudly touted the move in a press release, describing it this way (emphasis mine):

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