In an interview with the Virginia Mercury, Democrat nominee for Governor Abigail Spanberger pledged to end state cooperation with Immigration enforcement officers and make Virginia a sanctuary state.
“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 told reporters.
Governor Youngkin balked at Spanberger’s comments saying she her policies would put Virginians at risk.
“Abigail Spanberger’s voting record and statements are clear: she will turn Virginia into a sanctuary state, let violent crime go unpunished, and make Virginians less safe,” he posted.
In February, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 47 giving state police authority for immigration enforcement and urging local jails and agencies to assist with federal immigration operations. He also launched the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force, a law enforcement agency collaboration which has resulted in more than two thousand arrests statewide.
Spanberger unequivocally said she would rescind Executive Order 47, effectively blocking cooperation with federal authorities. She also voted against the Lanken Riley Act which requires federal law enforcement to detain immigrant accused of certain crimes.
President Trump has vowed to cut federal funds from sanctuary districts, though the order has been blocked by a federal judge pending appeal.
Virginia currently receives $79 billion from the federal government, though some of that funding is direct transfer payments to individuals. (RELATED: Virginia National Guard Deployed To Back ICE — Spanberger Calls It ‘Distraction Of Resources’)
Spanberger’s opponent, Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has pledge to continue Youngkin’s policy citing fairness and the rule of law.
“The rule of law is not negotiable — it is the foundation of our safety, our freedom, and the promise of opportunity that defines America,” Earle-Sears said. “My father and I had to file documents and wait to be granted permission to enter the United States. Under Governor Youngkin’s leadership, Virginia stands firm: we are not a sanctuary state.”
Earle-Sears and her family legally immigrated to the United States when she was six years old.
Similarly, Democrat candidate for Lt. Governor Ghazala Hashmi has supported legislation to expand financial aid and grant driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants as well as to eliminate the requirement that jails and prisons check the immigration status of inmates.
Immigration remains a top issue for voters as they head to the polls in November. (RELATED: Spanberger: Police Immigration Enforcement “A Distraction of Resources”)