Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order Thursday instructing state police to assist with federal immigration enforcement, including the removal of illegal migrants in the state.
Youngkin signed Executive Order 47, titled "Keep Virginians Safe from Dangerous Criminal Illegal Immigrants," which also asserts that "Virginia is not a sanctuary state."
"As Governor, protecting our citizens is my foremost responsibility and today we are taking action that will make Virginia safer by removing dangerous criminal illegal immigrants from our Commonwealth," Youngkin said in a release. "This order will allow Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to partner with President [Donald] Trump's administration on federal immigration enforcement. Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder. They should be sent back where they came from."
In addition to requesting that localities "fully cooperate" with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, EO 47 also creates a Virginia State Police task force of "federally deputized troopers to assist in the identification and apprehension of criminal illegal immigrants who pose a risk to public safety."
Further, the EO also directs the state's Department of Corrections into an agreement with ICE to "leverage multiple detention and processing facilities."
"I am a legal immigrant and now a naturalized citizen. Working together, the Governor, Attorney General, and I have made Virginia safer. We supported more funding for law enforcement and tackled violent crimes in our cities. Now, working with President Trump, we can take on the scourge of dangerous and violent illegal immigrants," said Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. "We've seen too many tragic stories after dangerous criminals in this country illegally were put back on the streets, and this Executive Order will make sure we send them back to where they came from."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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