Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order on Thursday instructing state police and prison officers to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
In the order, Youngkin said he aims to “improve the safety of all Virginians by maximizing our collaboration with the federal government to enforce immigration law.”
The Republican governor's order says some state officers will be deputized as federal immigration agents. It directs state police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to create a task force of federally deputized state troops to identify and arrest "illegal immigrants who pose a risk to public safety."
Our partner station Telemundo 44 spoke with Hector Joya, a member of the local immigrant rights group CASA, who says this move is terrorizing immigrant families.
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Joya says he fears the order will cause immigrants to lose trust with local police and lead to racial profiling.
Youngkin's order also calls on the Virginia Department of Corrections to enter into an agreement with ICE to allow the use of "multiple detention and processing facilities" in Virginia to hold detainees and train corrections officers as "designated immigration officers."
A 1996 bill allows ICE to coordinate with local and state law enforcement under what's known as the Section 287(g) program. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office instructs federal immigration authorities to enter these agreements with state law enforcement agencies.
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Many Northern Virginia jurisdictions, including Arlington and Fairfax counties, limit when local authorities can cooperate with ICE. Officials have said it helps police solve crimes and ensures immigrants can use county services.
Youngkin called out Fairfax, Arlington and Alexandria last year while saying that localities with sanctuary city practices should lose state funding.
