Latest news with #ExecutiveOrder47
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Youngkin touts success of Virginia gang and immigration sweep with over 500 arrests
(Photo courtesy of Getty Images) A high-profile crackdown on immigration violations and gang activity in Virginia hit a milestone this week, as officials announced more than 500 arrests since the launch of the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force (VHSTF) in late February. But while Gov. Glenn Youngkin and federal partners hailed the operation as a national model, some researchers and critics warn that the data used to justify such crackdowns often paints an incomplete — and potentially misleading — picture. Launched through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Justice and Virginia, the VHSTF is a sprawling initiative involving more than 200 officers from agencies including the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections, among others. The task force has made 521 arrests to date, according to Youngkin's office. Of those, 132 individuals were identified as gang-affiliated, including members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. 'Thanks to the brave men and women of our federal and state law enforcement, more than 500 criminal illegal immigrants, including more than 130 gang-members, are off of Virginia's streets and facing justice for their crimes,' Youngkin said in a statement Monday. 'All Virginians should be proud. … What's happening in Virginia is a model that should be replicated all across the country.' U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi echoed that sentiment, calling the effort 'the product of unprecedented collaboration' between state and federal law enforcement and praising the Youngkin administration's alignment with President Donald Trump's 'Make America Safe Again' agenda. FBI Director Kash Patel said the task force's early results had been 'a tremendous success,' while ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons highlighted the expansion of ICE's controversial 287(g) program in Virginia. That program, which allows state and local officials to enforce federal immigration law, was authorized in Virginia through Executive Order 47, signed by Youngkin on Feb. 27 and approved by ICE within 20 hours — a turnaround the governor's office touted as a record. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., offered a more measured response Monday, signaling support for law enforcement while stopping short of endorsing the operation's broader political framing. 'I appreciate the work of our law enforcement officers,' Kaine said. Yet amid the political fanfare, some experts say the celebratory tone doesn't align with the broader data. A 2024 report funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) found that undocumented immigrants are arrested at significantly lower rates than U.S.-born citizens. The study, which examined six years of Texas criminal records between 2012 and 2018 that included verified immigration status, found that undocumented immigrants were arrested at less than half the rate of native-born Americans for violent and drug crimes, and at only a quarter of the rate for property crimes. 'The question of how often undocumented immigrants commit crimes is not easy to answer,' the study's authors wrote, noting that arrest rates often reflect law enforcement priorities rather than actual crime rates. Still, their data showed that native-born citizens had the highest offending rates across most felony categories, with undocumented immigrants consistently showing the lowest. The findings challenge an unproven core assumption underlying the rhetoric around initiatives like the VHSTF — that undocumented immigrants pose an outsized threat to public safety. Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Terry Cole, however, called the task force's approach 'a proven model' for tackling transnational criminal threats. 'The significant number of arrests and ongoing investigations highlight the effectiveness of a collaborative approach to complex enforcement challenges,' Cole said. But critics argue that such high-profile sweeps often overstate the role of immigration status in violent crime — and underplay the potential for racial profiling and civil rights violations when local law enforcement is deputized to enforce federal immigration laws. For now, VHSTF operations are expected to continue, with law enforcement agencies conducting long-term investigations into narcotics trafficking, organized crime and gang-related violence. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FBI Norfolk enacts federal immigration enforcement
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The FBI Norfolk posted on social media platform X following recent efforts to crack down on immigration. The agency said they are supporting the nationwide plans with immigration enforcement. 'We will continue to surge resources as long as it takes to assist those partners and help keep our communities safe,' the post reads. Recently, Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 47 that also required local and state police to help with immigration enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
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." Trump's 'Gold Card' Visa Plan A Boon For American Economy, Expert Says: 'Mutually Beneficial' 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. Read On The Fox News App 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. Six-time Deported Gang Member Wanted For Murder Busted In Texas Illegal Immigration Sting 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 article source: Virginia gov promises 'full cooperation' with ICE to deport illegal immigrants
Fox News
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
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.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Youngkin issues executive order requiring law enforcement to assist in immigration enforcement efforts
RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an Executive Order to direct local and state law enforcement to assist in immigration enforcement. Executive Order 47 directs the Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to sign Section 287(g) agreements with ICE and directs the Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security to request a certification from local and regional jail authorities confirming their full cooperation with ICE and that they will cooperate with the Section 287(g) VSP Task Force. '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,' said Youngkin. '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.' Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
