Virginia gov promises 'full cooperation' with ICE to deport illegal immigrants
Virginia became the latest in a handful of mostly GOP states that are compelling their law enforcement officers to work with federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants.
Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 47 on Tuesday afternoon, mandating that state law enforcement and correctional agencies enter into formal agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), pledging "full cooperation" when it comes to helping them identify and deport undocumented illegal immigrants. The governor cited federal law under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which allows state and local law enforcement officials to enter into agreements that "federally deputize" them to perform certain actions in support of federal immigration enforcement.
"Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder," Youngkin said in an announcement about the new mandate. "They should be sent back where they came from."
While Virginia is just the latest among a handful of mostly GOP states to compel its law enforcement to work with ICE, the scope of these new cooperation requirements varies slightly from state to state.
Some states, like Tennessee, have implemented compelled cooperation to focus specifically on pursuing criminal undocumented immigrants. Others, like Virginia, are instructing their police to assist with apprehending and deporting any undocumented immigrants living illegally in their state.
Under Youngkin's new order, Virginia State Police will enter into a "287(g) Task Force Model Memorandum of Understanding" with ICE, creating a "State Police Task Force" to help with identifying and apprehending "criminal illegal immigrants" who pose a risk to the public.
The agreement gives these federally deputized officers special authority to perform immigration enforcement functions under ICE's supervision that they typically would not otherwise engage in.
In addition to mandating compliance from state law enforcement officials, Youngkin's Executive Order tasks the state's secretary of public safety and homeland security, Terrance Cole, to request "certification" from local and regional jail authorities that they will provide full cooperation with ICE and the newly deputized state task force. This agreement will allow Virginia Department of Corrections facilities to be used for immigration matters, such as processing and detention.
Cole is also required under the new order to contact every director, sheriff or other official in charge of a local or regional jail in Virginia to certify that they will fully cooperate with ICE and the newly deputized Virginia State Police task force supporting them.
"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 to succeed Youngkin, who is term-limited.
"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.
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