This General Assembly is debating ways to limit federal immigration activities.
Members of the Virginia Senate are debating a bill that would place new restrictions on federal immigration officials – keeping them away from polling places, making sure they have a judicial warrant before they can enter a home, making sure any investigations are conducted by state police and prohibiting them from using surveillance technology like face ID.
Senator Mark Obenshain is a Republican from Rockingham who says ICE should have access to the latest technology.
"I really seriously question whether we really want to prohibit ICE from engaging in surveillance activities with respect to the wide range of activities that ICE actually does engage in beyond immigration," Obenshain says.
He says ICE investigates drug trafficking, human trafficking, child exploitation, financial crimes, money laundering, cybercrime, even antiquities theft. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell says other agencies can handle that.
"ICE has been totally and completely out of control, unbound by any kind of law or constitutional restrictions whatsoever. And they need to stay in their lane," Surovell says. "And I'm sure the DEA and the FBI are perfectly good at enforcing our drug laws or dealing with human trafficking or looking at money laundering or crime. It would strike me that those kinds of things are outside of ICE's lane."
Members of the Senate are expected to vote later this week.
