(AmericanProsperity.com) – Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) has taken action against illegal immigration in Virginia by ordering state law enforcement to cooperate fully with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
See the tweet below.
The executive order creates new task forces deputizing state troopers and corrections officers to identify, detain, and deport criminal illegal aliens who pose threats to Virginia communities.
Youngkin signed Executive Order 47 this week, directing the Virginia State Police (VSP) and Department of Corrections (VADOC) to partner with federal immigration authorities to remove dangerous illegal aliens immigrants from the Commonwealth.
The order establishes formal partnerships through Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allowing state officers to perform federal immigration functions.
Governor Youngkin stated, “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.”
He continued:
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.”
The executive order creates two distinct programs. First, a VSP Task Force with federally deputized state troopers will actively identify and apprehend criminal illegal immigrants.
Second, a VADOC Jail Enforcement Model will train corrections officers to be Designated Immigration Officers and process criminal illegal aliens within detention facilities.
BREAKING: "Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has directed the state’s police, sheriffs, and jails to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency."
"The state’s jails hold almost 1,000 deportable migrants, and “nine out of… pic.twitter.com/sVeOglxWv7
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 27, 2025
Moreover, the Governor’s order directly targets sanctuary policies that have hampered immigration enforcement in parts of Virginia.
Youngkin’s directive instructs the Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security to ensure that all local and regional jails fully cooperate with ICE detainer requests, preventing criminal illegal aliens from being released back into communities.
Meanwhile, the order comes at a critical time, with VADOC currently housing 946 inmates who have open immigration detainers.
Without proper coordination between state and federal authorities, many of these illegal aliens could be released instead of being properly deported.
Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears strongly supported the executive order, stating:
“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.”
The action aligns with President Trump’s executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” which seeks to expand nationwide 287(g) agreements.
Virginia now joins other states like Georgia in actively supporting federal immigration enforcement efforts rather than hindering them.
As expected, immigration attorneys and activists have criticized the order, claiming it could lead to racial profiling.
Attorney Alexander Miller argued: “The bottom line is, this is a fear-based tactic and fear doesn’t fight crime. Trust does. This law destroys trust and puts everyone at risk.”
However, VSP officials have expressed confidence in the initiative. “Virginia State Police’s mission is to provide for a secure Commonwealth,” Colonel Matthew D. Hanley said.
“As will be the case here, we frequently partner with other agencies to support the Governor’s initiatives on violent crime,” he added.
Ultimately, the executive order took effect immediately upon signing, sending a clear message that Virginia would no longer be a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens.
By deputizing state officers and mandating cooperation with federal authorities, Youngkin has taken concrete steps to protect Virginia citizens and uphold immigration laws that the Biden administration has failed to enforce.
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