Northern Virginia localities debate Gov. Youngkin's sanctuary city ban
Dec 13, 2024
FAIRFAX, Va. (DC News Now) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s budget proposal aims to prevent Virginia cities from becoming sanctuary cities.
He plans to impose consequences on agencies that don’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
But some localities like Fairfax said the governor is “incorrectly blaming local governments.”
“It’s not their job and they need to be focusing on actually protecting the communities they serve,” Immigration Rights Attorney, Austin Rose, said.
Ornaments stripped, stolen from Brunswick city Christmas tree in Frederick County
Rose said Youngkin’s plan to withhold funding from localities that don’t cooperate with ICE will hurt more than help.
“I think it would make it harder for them to protect the communities which is exactly what Governor Youngkin, I think, wants right?” says Rose.
The plan would require law enforcement to fully comply with ICE detainers and provide notice to ICE 48 hours before the release of an undocumented immigrant who commits a crime.
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said it’s a good idea.
“We’ve had about 500 that were undocumented that have come through our jail,” Chapman said. “Of those about 250 were referred to ICE and they picked them up and about 100 of those were deported. Every time we do something like that it gets somebody out of the area, out of our communities that has a propensity to commit another crime.”
Fairfax County Chairman Jeff McKay released a statement saying that Youngkin should be calling for "comprehensive federal immigration reform to prevent the kinds of problems he’s incorrectly blaming on local governments.”
“We don’t need those people here to commit other crimes and jeopardize our citizens, so I don’t think that that’s the case. I don’t think this is going to be a blanket ‘hey, let’s just go after anybody and everybody here,’” Chapman said.
The governor’s budget proposal still needs to be approved by the General Assembly which is currently Democrat-controlled.