Virginia to Enforce Immigration Law by Cooperating with ICE

Virginia is now among a growing number of states, predominantly with Republican leadership, that are directing their law enforcement agencies to collaborate with federal authorities on the deportation of undocumented immigrants.

On Tuesday afternoon, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin signed Executive Order 47, which mandates that state law enforcement and correctional facilities enter into formal agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This order pledges "full cooperation" in identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants. Youngkin referenced the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which permits state and local law enforcement to be "federally deputized" to support federal immigration enforcement.

"Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder," Youngkin stated. "They should be sent back where they came from." I mean, no one wants dangerous criminals roaming free, regardless of their immigration status.

While numerous GOP states are pushing for law enforcement to team up with ICE, the specifics of these collaborations differ from state to state.

Some states, such as Tennessee, focus on pursuing undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Others, like Virginia, instruct their police to assist in apprehending and deporting any undocumented immigrants residing illegally in the state.

Under Youngkin's order, the Virginia State Police will establish a "287(g) Task Force Model Memorandum of Understanding" with ICE, creating a "State Police Task Force" to identify and apprehend "criminal illegal immigrants" who pose a risk to the public. This gives these officers the authority to perform immigration enforcement functions under ICE supervision, which they typically wouldn't be involved in.

Youngkin's order also directs the state's secretary of public safety and homeland security, Terrance Cole, to request "certification" from local and regional jail authorities confirming their full cooperation with ICE and the newly deputized state task force. This means Virginia Department of Corrections facilities can be used for immigration matters, like processing and detention. It's a pretty significant expansion of state involvement in federal immigration enforcement, if you ask me.

Cole is also required to contact every director, sheriff, or official in charge of a local or regional jail in Virginia to ensure their cooperation with ICE and the Virginia State Police task force.

"I am a legal immigrant and now a naturalized citizen. Working together, the Governor, Attorney General, and I have made Virginia safer. We supported more funding for law enforcement and tackled violent crimes in our cities. Now, working with President Trump, we can take on the scourge of dangerous and violent illegal immigrants," said Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who is running for governor.

"We’ve seen too many tragic stories after dangerous criminals in this country illegally were put back on the streets, and this executive order will make sure we send them back to where they came from," Earle-Sears concluded.