Youngkin pushes to strip funds from 'sanctuary' localities

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is renewing his push to end so-called "sanctuary cities" in the commonwealth by proposing a budget amendment that would strip state funding from local governments that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

The policy appears in Youngkin's proposed budget amendment presentation, which includes a requirement for local law enforcement to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"We must prioritize the safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth and stop localities from returning criminals, who entered the country illegally, back out into our communities to potentially commit more crimes," the administration said in a December fact sheet.

The proposal builds on an executive order issued by the governor in December, which directed local law enforcement agencies to comply with ICE and threatened to withhold state per diem jail payments for noncompliance. The amendment would codify those directives by denying state funding to jurisdictions that do not comply. It also requires local law enforcement to notify federal authorities 48 hours before releasing undocumented immigrants charged with crimes.

In the administration's words, the proposal is intended to "prioritize the safety of the citizens of the Commonwealth."

In November 2024, Fairfax County faced scrutiny when Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, a Honduran national with a lengthy criminal history, was arrested and charged with the rape of a woman in Herndon.

Local authorities released him without honoring ICE detainer requests, releasing him back into the community, where he allegedly committed further threats.

Immigration officials and the Youngkin administration have pointed to cases like this as justification for tighter policies, arguing that "sanctuary" practices allow individuals charged with violent crimes to be released back into the community.

Fairfax County's Trust Policy, adopted in 2021, states: "It is not an appropriate use of Fairfax resources to facilitate enforcement of federal immigration law, which is the sole responsibility of the federal government." The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the policy 12-1.

Republican congressional candidate Mike Clancy, running for Virginia's 10th District, endorsed Youngkin's proposal. "Defiance of the law by Fairfax & Arlington should not be tolerated," Clancy wrote on X.

While "sanctuary city" has no legal definition, it typically refers to jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, such as declining to hold individuals past their release date without a court order.

Lawmakers will consider the governor's proposal part of the ongoing budget negotiations, with a vote expected during the General Assembly's session in April.