The Department of Justice has a message for Virginia: stop trying to be California. Last week, the feds slapped the Commonwealth with a lawsuit. The goal? Stop Richmond from turning the state into a sanctuary haven.
“We are suing Virginia to prevent Virginia from becoming the next sanctuary jurisdiction, just like California,” Brett Shumate, the DOJ’s Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, said in an interview. It is a classic turf war. The feds claim Virginia is overstepping its constitutional bounds by trying to micromanage federal agents.
The state’s new legislative package targets ICE. One bill bans federal agents from wearing masks and forces them to display identification badges. The other guts voluntary cooperation agreements between local sheriffs and federal immigration authorities.
It is a constitutional clash. Under the Supremacy Clause, states cannot dictate how federal officers do their jobs. Shumate was blunt. “They do not have the authority to do that,” he said.
The lawsuit targets Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones and Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney Steve Descano, a progressive prosecutor with ties to George Soros. Meanwhile, newly-elected Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger has inherited a political headache.
California already tried this stunt. They lost. A federal appeals court recently blocked Governor Gavin Newsom’s attempt to force federal agents to show ID during raids. When asked about Virginia’s comparison to her state, Newsom’s deputy communications director, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, offered a sarcastic, “Congratulations, Virginia.”
The clock is ticking. The laws take effect July 1. The DOJ is rushing to a district court judge to secure an injunction before the deadline. They argue the mask ban puts agents at risk of doxing, harassment, and physical violence. ICE has long defended the use of face coverings, citing a surge in threats against agents and their families.
Virginia was once a reliable Republican stronghold. Not anymore. Two decades of demographic and political shifts have dragged it into the blue column. Now, it is the latest battleground in the immigration wars.
Other states are watching. Some are considering similar mask bans. The DOJ has a warning for them, too. “We will file a lawsuit,” Shumate promised. Consider yourselves warned.
