America is a nation of immigrants predicated upon the rule of law. As a first-generation American and attorney general for the Commonwealth of Virginia, I am grateful and mindful of both on a daily basis.

Public safety rests on the faithful application of federal and state law. Our Constitution vests broad immigration authority at the federal level while reserving authority over state crimes to state and local prosecutors. In the case of illegal immigrant Denis Romero, this partnership was sacrificed to an extreme political ideology that victimized Virginians and continues to place our communities at risk.