Virginia Republicans highlighted the murder of a Fairfax County woman Wednesday in an effort to knock Governor Abigail Spanberger’s opposition to agreements between state agencies and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
But as state agencies ditch ICE, many localities in their Republican districts were never part of those same agreements.
“Stephanie Minter, who you see behind me today, she should be alive,” said Colonial Heights Republican Senator Glen Sturdevant. Sturdevant, standing in front of a photo of Stephanie Minter at a news conference Wednesday morning, decried Governor Abigail Spanberger’s efforts to pull Virginia law enforcement agencies out of federal immigration enforcement agreements.
By his logic, the undocumented man who allegedly murdered Minter should have been removed by ICE agents under what’s known as a 287g agreement.
“This is Governor Spanberger’s first month in office, and her response has been to weaken cooperation and add barriers to federal law enforcement in Virginia,” Sturdevant told Radio IQ.
But according to ICE data, only 27 agencies across Virginia’s more than 130 localities are in 287g agreements. Among those not in such agreements is Sturdevant’s home locality of Colonial Heights.
Culpeper County Republican senator Bryce Reeves said 287g agreements don’t matter as much as the support an executive like Spanberger could be offering law enforcement.
“I don’t have any 287gs, but I know the numbers. They don’t need the federal money to enforce immigration policy. They work with ICE agents, they don’t want to be amplified or be under the microscope," Reeves said Wednesday. "They just want to get rid of those criminals. Whether you have a 287g or not doesn’t matter.”
Legislation that bans localities from entering into 287g agreements is currently working through both of Virginia’s legislative chambers. It got zero support from Republicans so far.
