Virginia Gov. Youngkin moves to strip funding from alleged 'sanctuary cities' in commonwealth

Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin is proposing an amendment to the commonwealth's budget to withhold funding from so-called "sanctuary cities."  

The amendment specifically targets Democrat-run counties in northern Virginia, according to a local Fox News affiliate.

The term sanctuary city essentially applies to municipalities that don't comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement requests to detain incarcerated illegal migrants.  

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay, says Youngkin’s plan would effectively defund the police.

"Ultimately, what he’s saying is, 'If you don’t agree with his non-lawyer definition of 'sanctuary city,' it could affect your law enforcement agency, and he’s doing this because he’s alleging significant crime is occurring," he said.

Youngkin said that this amendment, similar to one he proposed in December, is for safety reasons.

"This is not a decision for people to make locally," he said. "This is for the betterment of all our safety. We are not a sanctuary state, and therefore we’re not supporting localities that are declared sanctuary cities."