Virginia LULAC Urges Governor Abigail Spanberger to Ban All Immigration Enforcement Agreements in the Commonwealth
- Virginia LULAC
- Mar 1
- 2 min read
March 1, 2026
Virginia LULAC today calls on Governor Abigail Spanberger to take the next decisive step in protecting Virginia communities by signing legislation that would ban all immigration enforcement agreements in the Commonwealth.
We commend Governor Spanberger for her leadership on this issue — beginning with her executive actions upon taking office, including rescinding former Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order 47 and issuing directives to end existing 287(g) agreements involving state agencies. This action was a significant early step toward ensuring Virginia law-enforcement resources focus on community safety and public trust rather than federal immigration enforcement operations.
Virginia lawmakers have advanced Senate Bill 783 and House Bill 1441, sponsored by Senator Saddam Salim and Delegate Alfonso Lopez, respectively. These bills would place meaningful guardrails on how state and local law-enforcement agencies engage with federal immigration authorities, including requiring written agreements with specific conditions, limiting enforcement in sensitive locations, and ensuring judicial oversight for enforcement actions.
Despite progress at the state level and the Governor’s early directives, localities across Virginia continue to enter into immigration enforcement agreements, including 287(g) pacts, that deputize local officers to perform federal immigration functions. These agreements divert limited law-enforcement resources away from critical public safety priorities, weaken community trust, and create fear in immigrant communities, undermining the relationship between residents and those sworn to protect them.
Virginia LULAC believes that public safety, civil rights, and community trust are best upheld when law-enforcement policies are defined transparently and democratically through the Virginia General Assembly, not through open-ended arrangements with federal agencies. Through these bills, the Commonwealth has an opportunity to establish clear statewide standards that protect residents’ rights and preserve local resources for essential policing functions.
We thank Governor Spanberger for her continued efforts to safeguard Virginians and urge her to sign SB 783 and HB 1441 when they reach her desk. These measures and the broader goal of ending all local immigration enforcement agreements, reflect the values of fairness, due process, and accountable governance that Virginians deserve.
###
About Virginia LULAC
Virginia LULAC is the state chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation’s oldest and largest Latino civil rights advocacy organization. Our mission is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans in the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.
Comments