Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger rescinds Youngkin order directing state cooperation with ICE

Newly appointed Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has rescinded an executive order signed by former Governor Glenn Youngkin that deputized state police to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in arresting illegal immigrants.

Last year, Youngkin signed Executive Order 47, which directed state law enforcement agencies to assist with federal immigration enforcement and urged local governments to fully cooperate with ICE. The order instructed the Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to enter into Section 287(g) agreements with ICE and directed the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to request certifications from local jail authorities confirming cooperation with federal immigration officials.

“As Governor, protecting our citizens is my foremost responsibility and today we are taking action that will make Virginia safer by removing dangerous criminal illegal immigrants from our Commonwealth,” Youngkin said when he announced the order. “This order will allow Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to partner with President Trump’s administration on federal immigration enforcement. Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder. They should be sent back where they came from.”

Spanberger had pledged during her campaign to reverse the policy.

“I would rescind his executive order, yes,” Spanberger told The Virginia Mercury during her campaign.

“Our immigration system is absolutely broken,” she continued. “The idea that we would take local police officers or local sheriff’s deputies in amid all the things that they have to do, like community policing or staffing our jails or investigating real crimes, so that they can go and tear families apart … that is a misuse of those resources.”

Spanberger was sworn into office on Saturday and went on to sign 10 executive orders. In a statement outlining her actions, Spanberger said, “My administration is getting to work on Day One to address the top-of-mind challenges facing families by lowering costs for Virginians in every community, building a stronger economy for every worker, and making sure that every student in the Commonwealth receives a high-quality education that sets them up for success. These executive orders represent the first steps in our work to create a stronger, safer, and — critically — more affordable future for our Commonwealth.”