This week, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced a partnership between federal and state law enforcement has hit a new benchmark in removing what he called “violent criminals here illegally.” But statistics provided by federal immigration authorities and immigrant advocates tell a different story.
“Violent criminals that represent the most violent drug cartels and gangs who are living among us in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Governor Glenn Youngkin told the press at a Virginia State Police facility outside Richmond Wednesday.
He was describing the over 2,500 people who’ve been removed as part of the state’s Homeland Security Taskforce. The partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice “focuses on violent crimes and immigration offenses,” rounding up Virginia residents without legal status and detaining and deporting them. Just weeks ago, the number of people removed was at 1,500.
But according to recent reporting on federal data by WRIC, roughly half of those being kept in migrant detention at Virginia’s two Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, facilities have no criminal history. Additional research by the CATO Institute suggested as much as 65% of people taken by the federal agency nationally had no convictions.
Rohmah Javed is with the Legal Justice Aid Center’s Immigrant Justice Program, which runs a program for those seeking help when someone they know has been detained by ICE.
“We’ve seen some criminal enforcement, of course, that’s in line with this narrative, but minimally," Javed said. "What we have seen is day laborers targeted on their way to work and lots of families calling these hotlines wondering where their family member is.”
Youngkin was also asked to respond to recent reports of Chesterfield’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Erin Barr's concerns in the wake of ICE detaining more than a dozen people in the county’s courthouse last week. Barr told WTVR the agency’s continued action could impact their "ability to seek justice and prosecute those for criminal acts."
But Youngkin said such concerns aligned the local public safety official with so-called “sanctuary city” policies.
“Stop working for the criminal illegals that are here and work for your citizens,” Youngkin said.
Questions sent by Radio IQ to ICE, Governor Youngkin’s office and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia asking for specifics on those detained, including names, crimes and where they are being held, were not returned.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
