Virginia law enforcement is meant to protect Virginia, not join ICE

RICHMOND, Va. – Following mass arrests carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in coordination with the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, ACLU of Virginia Policy Director Chris Kaiser released the following statement:

“What is happening in Greene County is just one example of what continues to unfold here in the Commonwealth: local law enforcement directly coordinating with ICE to terrorize and racially profile our communities – tactics we have seen undermine public safety and rip Virginia families apart.

“Dragnets like these are precisely why Virginia lawmakers passed legislation that will become law in less than a week to rein in Virginia law enforcement from using Virginia resources to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement. Virginia’s Attorney General has the authority to hold Virginia officials accountable when they flout the law, and Virginians have the power to hold their sheriffs and Commonwealth’s attorneys accountable when they voluntarily facilitate the Trump administration’s violent, anti-immigrant agenda. We should be prepared to use it.”