This blog post was written by ACLU of Virginia Reproductive Freedom Organizer Heather St. Amand.
Virginia lawmakers don’t pass laws all year: in fact, they’re only in session at the General Assembly for a few months each year. So ACLU of Virginia staff and volunteers seized our opportunity to meet with Virginia lawmakers to urge them to make not only immigrant, but all our communities across the Commonwealth safer, and keep families together.
ACLU-VA volunteers show up at the statehouse to urge Virginia lawmakers to protect our immigrant neighbors and keep families together.
Photo: Phuong Tran
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence in Virginia’s communities has skyrocketed under the Trump administration, and while state lawmakers have no control over federal immigration policy, they DO have the ability to control how or if state and local law enforcement coordinate with ICE.
So when ACLU-VA volunteers met with them, we asked Virginia lawmakers to support legislation that bans local and state law enforcement from essentially acting as ICE agents in local municipalities – programs called 287(g) agreements.
As you have seen around the country, increased ICE presence brings chaos and violence—and Virginians don’t want that here. Virginians want law enforcement to spend their time and resources on proven measures that will make the public safer, not spend Virginia taxpayer dollars carrying out ICE’s agenda.
Law enforcement cooperation with ICE also causes increased mistrust of law enforcement officials, which makes people afraid to call for help when they need it. That makes our communities even LESS safe.
ACLU-VA Policy Counsel Greg Brown and a Richmond community member, Roxanne, wait outside a lawmaker's office and strategize before the meeting.
Photo: Phuong Tran
We also asked lawmakers to protect Virginians’ fundamental right to access the courts by passing legislation that would require ICE to have a valid judicial warrant to arrest anyone at courthouses.
Everyone should feel safe accessing courthouses because all other rights depend on it – when Virginians who rely on the protections of the courts are scared to show up, the entire system breaks down. More ICE presence means more racial profiling and less trust in the justice system as a whole.
While speaking with lawmakers, ACLU-VA volunteers shared personal stories of how ICE has impacted their families and communities. Some lawmakers even shared stories of their own.
It broke my heart to hear from a healthcare provider about some of her patients who are now afraid to access the healthcare they need. They’re afraid of being kidnapped and unlawfully detained without due process while trying to take care of themselves or a loved one.
Multiple people shared stories of loved ones and entire families leaving their homes entirely out of fear of being violently snatched up, sent to a detention center, and subjected to horrible conditions and abuse. These are people that have been here for decades, raising families, running businesses, and contributing to our communities—now gone.
A Lobby Day participant wears an ACLU-VA's button with the message "Keep Families Together."
Photo: Phuong Tran
Melissa, a business owner in Virginia Beach, shares how afraid she is for her immigrant employees in a meeting with a lawmaker.
Photo: Phuong Tran
Business owners shared that they are afraid for their immigrant employees, some of whom have been in this country longer than any other one. Virginia is their home, but now they live in fear of being deported to a country they barely know or remember.
Our lawmakers need to hear from us directly. They work for us; it is our duty to let them know how the policies and laws they consider affect us. This month, Virginians let their lawmakers know: ICE in our communities makes us less safe.
Volunteers connected with lawmakers on a human level while sharing their stories, I am hopeful these conversations moved the needle and changed some hearts and minds that were on the fence before our visits. I am hopeful because we showed up—together—to make change.
Our amazing volunteers and staff took time away from work and school to speak directly with lawmakers to ask them to keep families together – not only because it was important to us for our own communities and families, but because it is important to us for ALL Virginians’ families and communities.
Lobbying our legislators is the most direct way to affect change, but it’s not the only way. While Legislative Session is only a few months out of the year, there are opportunities to get involved year-round.
If you missed our Lobby Day and are interested in being a changemaker, join one of the ACLU of Virginia’s CLAPback teams. There are regional teams around the Commonwealth in Roanoke, Richmond/Henrico, Hampton Roads, and NoVA.
