The 287(g) agreement commits Hopewell deputies to help serve immigration warrants and allows ICE to use the city's detention facilities. Under the partnership, local law enforcement officers can perform certain immigration enforcement functions typically handled by federal agents.
Sheriff Travis Stanley offered the following statement, saying the agreement complies with Governor Glenn Youngkin's Executive Order 47:
The Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights has launched an online petition asking Stanley to rescind the agreement. The advocacy group argues the partnership will have a chilling effect on spending by immigrants, who make up 4% of Hopewell's population.
The coalition also warns the agreement could hit Hopewell's treasury, as the city will pay the vast majority of jailing cos