Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, is threatening to withhold state funding from local governments if they do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement officials.
The proposal comes as the governor seeks to eliminate the Commonwealth’s “sanctuary cities,” which are areas that choose to protect migrants without legal status rather than cooperate with federal officials to enforce immigration law.
Youngkin first floated the idea of withholding funding in December. The governor has now proposed it as an amendment to the state budget passed by the General Assembly, according to Fox 5 DC.
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The proposal would ensure that state funding does not go to counties or cities with “sanctuary city” policies such as ignoring detainer requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the outlet reported.
The governor has been particularly critical of Democrat-run counties in northern Virginia, including Fairfax. He said there must be full cooperation on immigration enforcement to continue receiving funding.
“This is not a decision for people to make locally,” he said, according to Fox 5 DC. “This is for the betterment of all our safety. We are not a sanctuary state and therefore we’re not supporting localities that are declared sanctuary cities.”
Chair of the Board of Supervisors for Fairfax County, Jeff Mckay, told Fox 5 DC that Youngkin’s plan would effectively “defund the police,” as he claims that Fairfax County is not a “sanctuary city” and asserts that officials follow all legal detainers.
“Ultimately, what he’s saying is, if you don’t agree with his non-lawyer definition of ‘sanctuary city,’ it could affect your law enforcement agency, and he’s doing this because he’s alleging significant crime is occurring,” McKay said.
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Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, a Democrat, has accused the governor of “capitulating” to the Trump administration, which has sought to carry out the president’s plan to mass deport migrants.
The General Assembly, which has a Democrat majority, will take up the governor’s proposal next week.