Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 47 on Thursday, February 27, which will direct state law enforcement and corrections officers to assist with federal immigration enforcement.
The order also requests localies fully cooperate with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement removal as well as other enforcement operations.
“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.”
Executive Order 47 directs Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to sign Section 287(g) agreements with ICE; these agreements allow state and local law enforcement officials to be deputized to support federal immigration enforcement efforts. The order 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.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 added Section 287(g) to the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which authorizes ICE to enter into agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies to advance enforcement of federal immigration laws. The agreements also give federally trained and certified state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight.
