Gov. Youngkin is undermining the Virginia National Guard by weaponizing it against immigrants

RICHMOND, Va. – In response to Gov. Youngkin’s announcement that he will deploy Virginia’s National Guard units for interior immigration enforcement, ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Mary Bauer released the following statement:

"Gov. Youngkin claimed that by ordering Virginia’s National Guard to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he somehow isn’t ordering it to ‘do the ICE job’ – but that's a fantasy.

"With a long history of military service and the second-highest number of active-duty personnel, Virginians aren't falling for the idea that tasking Virginia’s National Guard with immigration enforcement won’t undermine its core mission. It’s shameful that Gov. Youngkin is willing to waste Virginians’ tax dollars to terrorize local communities for political gain, when the oath he swore was to represent the interests of Virginians – all Virginians, including immigrants."