Department of Justice sues Virginia to prevent it from becoming an “immigrant sanctuary”
The DOJ seeks to prevent the entry into force of two laws approved by Governor Abigail Spanberger aimed at protecting immigrants in Virginia
Given the rejection shown towards the application of federal immigration laws, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the government of Virginia with the aim of preventing it from becoming an immigrant sanctuary.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Brett Shumate, assistant attorney general of the Department of Justice for the Civil Division, denounced how Virginia is violating the Constitution by trying to regulate the operations of federal law enforcement forces to prevent the detention of foreigners lacking legal status, an action that falls strictly within the purview of the president of the nation.
“Under the Constitution, and particularly the Supremacy Clause, states cannot regulate or discriminate against the federal government.
That is precisely what Virginia has done. They have attempted to regulate the functioning of the federal government. “They have no authority to do so according to the Constitution,” he said.
The head of the civil division of the DOJ indicated that the administration headed by Democrat Abigail Spanberger, governor of Virginia, approved laws SB 352 and SB 783, which are aimed at restricting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) agents from covering their faces during the detention operations they carry out and also making it mandatory for them to wear their respective identification badges.
“Law enforcement officers wearing masks on American streets undermine basic expectations of accountability, sow fear and confusion, and erode public trust,” the state president said in a statement.
With both laws imminently taking effect on July 1, the DOJ lawsuit names Jay Jones, Virginia Attorney General, and Steve Descano, Fairfax County Prosecutor.
“We filed a nearly identical lawsuit against California earlier this year, and we won that case.
Any state considering passing this type of bill is advised that we will file a lawsuit and seek an injunction to prevent these laws from going into effect.
“We are suing Virginia to prevent it from becoming the next sanctuary jurisdiction, like California,” he emphasized.