Youngkin, GOP governors vow to use National Guard for Trump's mass deportations
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Photo illustration of Governors Ron DeSantis, Jim Justice, and Glenn Youngkin: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Scott Eisen, Darren Carroll, David McNew, and John Moore via Getty Images
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, along with 25 other Republican governors, said in a Wednesday statement that he'd use "state law enforcement or the National Guard" to help with President-elect Trump's mass deportation plans.
Why it matters: The federal government doesn't have enough resources to carry out Trump's goal of deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants from the U.S. without cooperation from state and local police.
- And with 26 governors vowing to help, that gives Trump the promised cooperation of a majority of U.S. states — including those with some of the largest populations of undocumented people.
Plus, on Thursday, Youngkin announced his plans to require local law enforcement agencies to comply with ICE or risk losing state funding — a budget proposal that faces low odds of getting through the legislature.
Reality check: These mass deportations will also likely face several procedural roadblocks and the estimated $150 billion to $350 billion price tag to execute them is steep.
Yes, but: The letter from the Republican Governors Association said, "We stand ready to utilize every tool at our disposal" and "we will do everything in our power to assist in removing them from our communities."
- The joint statement clarifies the "them" as "illegal immigrants who pose a threat to our communities and national security" and "dangerous criminals, gang members, and terrorists."
A Youngkin spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about:
- How state law enforcement plans to identify and deport immigrants in Virginia illegally.
- Whether efforts would target all of the state's estimated 275,000 undocumented immigrants or only those convicted or charged with a crime.
Between the lines: Virginia law already gives any officer the ability to arrest someone here illegally if they've confirmed the immigration status with ICE and if that person has previously been convicted of a felony.
- And Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has said local law enforcement has the "authority and moral duty" to cooperate with federal immigration agencies.
- But some local police chiefs, including Richmond's, have already suggested that they wouldn't.
What we're watching: Some Virginia cities with significant immigrant populations are waiting to take a stand on the issue, which could make its way to local governments, as it already has in Colorado.
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