Virginia cut ties with ICE, and now DHS says the state is less safe

DHS attacked Spanberger before her big speech

The Department of Homeland Security went after Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Feb. 24, just hours before she delivered the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address.

DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis accused Spanberger of making Virginia less safe by ending ICE cooperation.

The agency labeled her a “sanctuary governor” and claimed she ended all 287(g) immigration agreements in the state. Spanberger gave her rebuttal that evening from Colonial Williamsburg.

These agreements let local cops enforce immigration law

Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act lets local and state law enforcement sign agreements with ICE. Officers who join get federal training and can carry out immigration enforcement duties.

But there’s a catch: those officers work under ICE supervision, not under their own department leaders.

These agreements have become one of the biggest flashpoints in the national fight over how far state and local police should go in helping enforce federal immigration law.

Spanberger only ended state-level agreements

On Feb. 4, Spanberger signed Executive Directive 1, ordering state agencies to drop their 287(g) agreements with ICE.

That covered Virginia State Police, the Department of Corrections, Conservation Police, and Marine Police. It did not touch local law enforcement like county sheriffs or city police departments.

Spanberger also made clear the directive does not block cooperation with federal agencies when officers have a valid judicial warrant.

Multiple outlets found the DHS claim wrong

Several Virginia news outlets confirmed that the DHS claim was inaccurate.

Spanberger did not end all 287(g) agreements in Virginia because she does not have the power to do that. Local agreements fall outside her authority as governor.

Kaylin Cecchini of the Richmond Community Legal Fund said the governor only has jurisdiction over state law and state agencies. The DHS press release never made the distinction between state and local agreements.

Dozens of local agreements remain active

As of late February, roughly 22 to 28 local sheriff’s offices in Virginia still had active 287(g) agreements with ICE. That is worth noting because before 2025, Virginia had zero active agreements at any level.

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin changed that with Executive Order 47 in 2025, directing state agencies to join and encouraging local ones to follow.

Spanberger rescinded Youngkin’s order on her first day in office, Jan. 17. Local agencies in places like Hopewell and Greene County still participate.

A local sheriff calls the program a good tool

Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith said his office joined 287(g) in 2025 and called it a well-run program.

Eleven officers in his department completed ICE training and received credentials. Smith described it as another tool for keeping citizens safe.

His support shows the split playing out across Virginia, where state leaders and local officials are taking very different approaches to immigration enforcement.

Spanberger says state officers should answer to Virginia

Spanberger, a former CIA officer and federal law enforcement agent, framed the directive as a way to support Virginia’s own officers.

She said her review found the 287(g) agreements placed state officers under federal control and supervision.

She also pointed to federal enforcement tactics in places like Minnesota that she said were eroding public trust in police.

State officers, she argued, should work under the direction of their own agency leadership, not ICE.

Republicans say the directive weakens public safety

Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore said the decision weakens public safety and cuts off cooperation that helped remove dangerous criminals.

U.S. Rep. John McGuire of Virginia’s 5th District said it could put Virginians and law enforcement in danger.

DHS pointed to enforcement results in other states, including what it described as about 40,000 arrests in Florida and over 650 arrests during a two-week operation in West Virginia.

Virginia lawmakers weigh going even further

The Virginia General Assembly is considering House Bill 1441, sponsored by Delegate Alfonso Lopez.

The bill would restrict both state and local law enforcement from entering 287(g) agreements unless they meet certain conditions.

HB 1441 passed the House of Delegates and was moving through the Senate as of late February. If it passes, it would go further than Spanberger’s directive by also covering local agencies.

State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim introduced separate Senate bills adding more limits on ICE operations in Virginia.

Spanberger focused her rebuttal on affordability

Spanberger delivered the Democratic response from Colonial Williamsburg on the evening of Feb. 24. She criticized Trump’s record on housing, health care, energy, and grocery costs.

On immigration, she said the broken system should be fixed, not used as a reason for what she called unaccountable federal agents to disrupt communities.

She built her speech around three questions: whether the president works to make life affordable, keep Americans safe, and serve the people. She is the first woman elected governor of Virginia.

Virginia joins a growing list of states pushing back

Virginia is one of several states where governors and the Trump administration are clashing over immigration enforcement.

DHS has publicly targeted multiple governors it labels as sanctuary leaders, including California’s Gavin Newsom.

Supporters of Spanberger’s approach argue that local trust in police suffers when officers enforce federal immigration law. Opponents say refusing to cooperate with ICE puts communities at risk.

The divide over the role of state and local police in federal enforcement keeps growing.

Several immigration bills still hang in the balance

The Virginia General Assembly session continues with multiple immigration-related bills still under consideration.

Spanberger’s directive remains in effect for state agencies, and local 287(g) agreements stay active unless lawmakers pass new restrictions.

The outcome of HB 1441 and related bills could decide whether Virginia joins states like California and Illinois that have banned local 287(g) participation.

The clash between the federal government and Virginia’s state leadership shows no signs of slowing down.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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