Immigration arrests across Virginia have surged by 350%, outpacing increases in other states like Florida and Texas.
The data comes from the Deportation Data Project, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the University of California, Berkeley. According to the report, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has significantly ramped up arrests throughout the Commonwealth.
“You have to be careful with this,” said Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
“If you start with a 100 and you get to 200 – that’s going to be a 100% increase, and Virginia has increased that enforcement significantly.”
Just last week, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that more than 2,500 undocumented individuals charged with “serious or violent crimes” are now in U.S. custody. That announcement came after he signed Executive Order 47, which directs Virginia’s state police and corrections officers to cooperate with ICE.
Youngkin credited the spike in arrests to unprecedented collaboration between federal agents and local sheriff’s departments.
“The key element is collaboration,” Youngkin said.
“We have been working with the federal government in an unprecedented manner, and we have been working across local governments in an unprecedented manner.”
13News Now contacted several sheriff’s offices in the Hampton Roads region to determine whether any local arrests are tied to this announcement.
Spokespeople for the Virginia Beach and York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Offices said they had no involvement in the recent arrests.
In contrast, a Hampton spokesperson reported 11 arrests involving ICE detainers. Of those, only six individuals were charged with “serious or violent crimes.”
Advocates raised concerns that the arrests primarily target individuals without criminal records.
“If you go by the Home Depot, no one is there, they are all afraid,” said Dr. Ray Serrano, Director of Policy with the League of United Latin American Citizens.
“They are not getting the bad guys off the streets. They are getting the gardeners, the guys getting off from work, the guys coming back after dropping off their children.”
When asked how all arrested individuals were confirmed to have committed serious or violent crimes, a spokesperson for Governor Youngkin referred 13News Now to ICE. The agency did not respond to the inquiry.
Advocates warned that more arrests are likely on the horizon. They cited the recently passed “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which includes approximately $170 billion in funding to expand deportation operations.