Del. Jason Ballard
Virginia General Assembly
Republicans went into the 2025 General Assembly Session with several goals. One of the most important of those was protecting Virginians by ending the “sanctuary city” status of several local governments. Republicans, including the governor, tried mightily to ensure that local law enforcement cooperated with Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Democrats in the General Assembly blocked those efforts, to include refusing to hear my proposed legislation (HB 1891), which would have banned sanctuary cities in Virginia. Shockingly, my legislation – similar to over 150 other Republican bills – never received a public hearing from the Democrats who control the General Assembly. Now, Governor Glenn Youngkin is taking Executive Action to do what Democrats refused to do.
Executive Order 47 makes it clear – Virginia is not a sanctuary state, and all law enforcement in Virginia will cooperate with ICE officers. The order requires Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to become part of the federal 287g program. The program authorizes local and state law enforcement to enter into agreements with ICE that deputizes a group of trained officers to serve as immigration officers on ICE’s behalf.
As of last week, some 950 inmates in the Virginia Department of Corrections system had active ICE detainers, which are notices that they were to be held after their sentence for deportation to their home countries. Nine out of every 10 detainers are issued for violent crimes, and four of 10 are issued for rapists and sexual assailants. Two of every 10 are for murder.
The order also requires the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security to contact every Director, Sheriff, or other official in charge of a local or regional jail to certify their full cooperation with ICE. The need to take action to remove dangerous illegal immigrant felons from our Commonwealth is real. In February 2024, an Old Dominion University student was killed in a car crash by an illegal immigrant who had been ordered deported six years earlier. In the same month, an illegal immigrant sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in Campbell County. In November, a woman was attacked and raped by an illegal immigrant from Honduras while hiking in Herndon. The suspect had a long list of run-ins with police, ranging from indecent exposure to drug possession.
Democrats argue that cooperation with ICE is pointless, as illegal immigrants held are seldom picked up. That has changed and will no longer be the case under President Donald Trump. The safety of Virginians is paramount, and if an illegal immigrant commits a serious violent felony, they can and should be removed from the country. This Executive Order will ensure that it happens.
As the Delegate representing the 42nd House District in the Virginia General Assembly, your concerns are my greatest priority. If ever I may be of assistance to you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DelJBallard@House.Virginia.Gov. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBallardVA or like my Facebook page, Jason Ballard for Delegate, to keep up to date with what I am doing in Richmond and in our community on your behalf.
