Exclusive: Virginia Governor to Introduce Budget Proposal Banning Sanctuary Cities
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin will introduce a budget proposal that bans sanctuary cities in the state, ensuring that tax money will not go to counties or independent cities that are not complying with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The proposal would require local police and corrections officers to fulfill ICE detainer requests for criminal illegal immigrants and notify the federal government within two days of releasing any such person who matriculates through the justice system.
The budget proposal would also withhold state funding typically allocated to support police departments in municipalities that identify as sanctuary cities or enact similar policies. The Department of Criminal Justice Services, led by Youngkin appointee and former Prince William County Officer Jackson Miller, would advise withholding of “599 Funding” to such municipalities.
Youngkin stated, “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. Virginia is not a sanctuary state, and we will not allow localities to become ‘sanctuary cities.'”
The proposal comes amid recent violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Virginia, including the sexual assault of a jogger on a popular Herndon rail-trail. Critics have pointed to Fairfax County’s sanctuary-type policies, which allowed a Honduran national previously arrested for auto theft and indecent exposure to remain in the community.
Other municipalities in Virginia, such as Arlington County and Alexandria, have also implemented sanctuary city policies, which could be impacted by the budget proposal.