Gov. Spanberger allows ICE to continue making arrests inside Virginia’s courthouses
May 20, 2026 1:34 pm
RICHMOND, Va. — In response to Gov. Spanberger vetoing HB650 (Callsen) and SB351 (Salim) that would have prohibited Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from making warrantless civil arrests in Virginia’s courthouses, ACLU of Virginia Policy Director Chris Kaiser released the following statement:
“Lawmakers recognized that when ICE agents can make warrantless arrests inside Virginia courthouses, the rule of law itself is under attack — so they took decisive action to protect it. It is shocking that Gov. Spanberger would choose to veto the protections these bills would have provided and replace them with an executive order that does nothing to keep Virginians safe.
“Let’s be clear: Virginia — not the federal government — is in charge of our state’s courthouses, so the governor’s actions today constitute a voluntary surrender of that authority to the Trump administration and its lawless anti-immigrant agenda. The governor ran and won on a promise to keep all Virginians safe, but today she shattered that promise by refusing to stand up to ICE and allowing the agency to continue using Virginia courthouses as its hunting grounds.”
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