On January 17, 2026 — her very first day in office — Governor Abigail Spanberger signed an executive order ending Virginia's cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. State police, corrections officers, and county jails were directed to stop honoring ICE detainers on criminal suspects in the country illegally.

Here's what that policy has already cost us:

Stephanie Minter, 41, was stabbed to death at a Fredericksburg bus stop in February. ICE filed a detainer on her alleged killer. The Fairfax County Sheriff refused to honor it.

A 3-month-old baby girl was beaten to death, allegedly by her father, a Guatemalan national. ICE filed a detainer. Local officials refused to honor it.

A man was killed in a machete stabbing in Fairfax County. ICE filed a detainer on the suspect — a Guatemalan national. Local officials refused to honor it.

These are not statistics. These are Virginians who are gone. And in each case, the federal government identified the threat, filed the paperwork, and asked Virginia to hold the suspect. Virginia said no.

Governor Spanberger has said that mandatory ICE cooperation undermines "community trust." We ask her: what does it do to community trust when a resident is murdered by someone ICE had already flagged — and your administration let them walk?

Virginia is not required by any court to ignore federal immigration detainers. This is a policy choice. It can be reversed. It should be reversed today.

We call on Governor Spanberger to:

1. Immediately reinstate cooperation agreements between Virginia State Police, the Virginia Department of Corrections, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
2. Direct all Virginia counties and municipalities to honor lawful ICE detainers on individuals charged with violent felonies.
3. Establish a public reporting system so Virginians know when an ICE detainer has been refused and by whom.

The families of Stephanie Minter and every other victim of this policy deserve answers. Virginia deserves a governor who puts their safety first.