Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor of Virginia, has stated that she intends to reverse a key immigration policy enacted by current Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. In an interview with the Virginia Mercury, Spanberger said she would rescind Executive Order 47 if elected. The order, issued in February by Youngkin, authorized state police and corrections officers to carry out certain immigration duties and encouraged local jails to fully cooperate with federal deportation efforts.
Spanberger criticized the policy, arguing it diverts local law enforcement from their main responsibilities. “I would rescind his executive order, yes,” Spanberger told The Mercury. She elaborated on her position: “Our immigration system is absolutely broken,” she said. “The idea that we would take local police officers or local sheriff’s deputies in amid all the things that they have to do, like community policing or staffing our jails or investigating real crimes, so that they can go and tear families apart … that is a misuse of those resources.”
Governor Youngkin previously defended the directive as a measure designed to keep “dangerous criminal illegal immigrants” off Virginia’s streets.
As the gubernatorial race continues, recent polling data indicates a narrowing gap between Spanberger and her Republican opponent Winsome Earle-Sears, who currently serves as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. According to a recent Coefficient poll reported on social media, Sears is now within five points of Spanberger in voter support.
The outcome of this election could determine the direction of Virginia’s policies on immigration enforcement and other issues.
