Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced a budget proposal that seeks to eliminate “sanctuary cities,” or cities where local governments don’t comply with requests from federal immigration agents.
The proposal would require all local law enforcement, sheriffs, and jail directors to fully comply with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainers and notify ICE 48 hours before releasing undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.
States that do not comply would have 599 funding withheld. Those funds provide state aid to localities with police departments.
“Criminals who are in the United States illegally will be turned over to ICE. We must stop the cycle of violence and crime that is being enabled by some local governments,” said Youngkin. “Virginia is not a sanctuary state, and we must be clear that we will not allow localities to become ‘sanctuary cities.’ If local governments turn their backs on their citizens in order to pander to pro-illegal immigrant groups, we will cut off their funding.”
This would apply to any undocumented citizen taken into custody for a violent or nonviolent crime.
If the General Assembly approves this budget change, it would only apply to the second year of the current two-year budget, The Washington Post reported.
Youngkin’s budget proposal points to policies such as “not recording immigration status, ignoring immigration detainers issued by ICE, not notifying ICE prior to release, or not holding inmates for adequate time after notification of release to ICE.”
Youngkin’s proposal included examples of cities with policies that keep staff from voluntarily inquiring about a person’s immigration status. The four localities listed state that they do comply with ICE to the fullest extent mandated by law, but do not take additional steps to inquire about or report someone’s citizenship status.
These examples include:
- Fairfax County’s Trust Policy, adopted in 2021, which “contains standards to ensure that employees do not voluntarily cooperate with enforcement of federal civil immigration laws.”
- A 2022 statement from the Arlington County sheriff stating that the department would not voluntarily cooperate with ICE, and Arlington’s Trust Policy, adopted in 2022, which says Arlington “will comply with all applicable federal or state regulations mandating cooperation with ICE and other federal immigration officials…but will otherwise restrict sharing of personally identifiable information that could be used to further immigration enforcement efforts.”
- Alexandria’s Resolution 2246 from 2007, which says that “beyond what is required by State and Federal law, the City and its various agencies will neither make inquiries about nor report on the citizenship of those who seek the protection of its laws or the use of its services.”
- Richmond’s 2017 mayoral directive, which states that “beyond what is required by State and Federal law, the City and its various agencies will neither make inquiries about nor report on the citizenship of those who seek the protection of its laws or the use of its services.”
Feature image of Glenn Youngkin by Austin Stevens, Office of Governor Glenn Youngkin
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