On her first day as Governor, Abigail Spanberger made a decisive move: she vetoed Executive Order 47, ending Virginia’s participation in the federal 287(g) program that allowed local law enforcement to act as ICE agents.
This swift action represents a major victory for immigrant advocacy groups like CASA in Action, whose years of organizing and pressure from immigrant communities helped shape this outcome.
The decision carries particular weight given that Latino voters were a decisive force in Spanberger’s election, with the largest shifts from the 2024 presidential election occurring in Virginia’s most heavily Hispanic communities—particularly Prince William County, home to thousands of Salvadoran and Central American families.
“Today is a historic day for the Commonwealth,” said Luis Aguilar, Virginia Director at CASA in Action. “This victory belongs to the immigrant communities who organized, spoke out, and refused to be silenced. By repealing EO-47, Governor Spanberger has reaffirmed that Virginia stands for freedom for all.”
Aguilar said that the move sends a clear message: Virginia does not need voluntary collaboration with ICE to keep communities safe.
“When families can live without fear of deportation, everyone is safer,” he said. However, he noted that while this is a powerful first step, more work remains. “The General Assembly must honor Virginia’s legacy by advancing the strongest protections for immigrant communities and imposing the strictest limits on voluntary collaboration with ICE.”
Members of the immigrant community will head to the Virginia General Assembly on Thursday, January 22nd, at 9 a.m., to remind legislators that though this is an important first step, there is still more work to do.