Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) has already scrapped an executive order from former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that furthered state law enforcement’s collaboration with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, saying it was “not an appropriate use of state or local resources.”
Spanberger, who was sworn in on Saturday as Virginia’s first female governor, issued a superseding executive order that canceled Youngkin’s directive. Youngkin issued his order last year to “improve the safety of all Virginians by maximizing our collaboration with the federal government to enforce immigration law” in the state and use “all available methods to facilitate the arrest and deportation of inadmissible and removable criminal illegal immigrants.”
Spanberger claimed that order led to the public being “deprived of critical public safety resources” as Virginia police worked with ICE on arresting illegal immigrants living in the commonwealth.
“Ensuring public safety in Virginia requires state and local law enforcement to be focused on their core responsibilities of investigating and deterring criminal activity, staffing jails, and community engagement,” she said. “Federal authorities should enforce federal civil immigration laws — law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and state laws, and coordination with federal entities on criminal matters.”
The move comes as Spanberger has signaled resisting the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation agenda will be a focus of hers while in the governor’s mansion.
“In Virginia, our hard-working, law-abiding immigrant neighbors will know that when we say that we will focus on the security and safety of all of our neighbors, we mean them too,” she said in her inaugural address earlier Saturday.
It also follows scrutiny of ICE’s tactics in the wake of the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minnesota.
SPANBERGER PREACHES AFFORDABILITY, RESISTANCE TO TRUMP IMMIGRATION AGENDA IN INAUGURAL ADDRESS
Democratic lawmakers in the state have slammed ICE after the incident, all but threatening to cut off cooperation entirely.
But the hard-line stance has now led to a criminal inquiry from the Department of Justice. On Friday, the DOJ accused Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of impeding federal law enforcement’s ability to do its job in Minnesota.
