Press Advisory: VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE: 12:00pm on Tuesday, April 1, 2025  
 
Richmond, VA – The Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Virginia Interfaith Center, immigration advocates, and faith leaders from multiple religious traditions will host a virtual press conference to discuss the organized opposition to Governor Youngkin’s proposed anti-immigrant amendments on several bills that passed out of the 2025 General Assembly session.  

What: A virtual press conference to discuss Governor Glenn Youngkin’s anti-immigrant legislative amendments and executive action. The policies being addressed are the following:  

• Amendment 192: Lease of Culpeper Correctional Facility to Culpeper and Page Counties. This transfers the correctional facility in Culpeper to localities under the condition that they would not be eligible for further state funding. This is concerning because the locality could enter into an agreement with ICA or ICE to hold individuals with the extra space. We know the area has a recent history of entering 287g agreements. 

• Amendment 154: Restore language requiring localities to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detainers. This is the same language from the introduced amendment and would require facilities to hold individuals up to 48 hours after they would have been otherwise released in order for ICE to pick up individuals. 

• Amendment 64: Provide tuition assistance to nursing students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions. This amendment provides funding for nursing students at Marymount but requires students to be eligible for federal financial aid which carves out dreamers and undocumented students. 

• Executive Order 47: Request local governments to enter into 287(g) agreements, which would force localities to collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  
  This Executive Order asks localities to use their own resources to do federal work. It erodes trust in local law enforcement from the immigrant community, who are less likely to report crimes. It also puts localities at financial and legal risk. 

Who:  

• Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, Director of Faith Organizing, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy 

• Levi Goren, Director of Research and Education Policy, The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis 

• Rev. Cozy Bailey, Chair of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP and Associate Minister of First Mount Zion Baptist Church in Dumfries 

• Rev. Julio Hernandez, Interim Executive Director, Congregation Action Network 

• Dr. Charles Turner, Board Member for the Virginia Muslim Civic League 

• Reverend William Levwood, Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church  

• Kenn Speicher, NoVA Friends of Refugees 

• Sophia Gregg, Immigration Counsel, the ACLU of Virginia 

• Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director, Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights 

Additional speakers include representatives of the Jewish and Quaker faith traditions. 

When: 12:00pm Tuesday, April 1, 2025 

Where: VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE LINK: 12:00pm on Tuesday, April 1, 2025  

Why: Everyone wants to be able to work hard and thrive in their communities, regardless of their immigration status. We deserve a common sense immigration process, one that makes our country stronger by respecting people’s rights and honoring our values. We know what keeps our communities safe: living in communities where we treat each other like neighbors, no matter what we look like or where we come from, and where we join together to push our government to provide the services and support we need to live healthy and fulfilling lives.  

We also know what doesn’t help keep us safe: punitive policies like those outlined in these amendments that cause our immigrant neighbors to retreat further into the shadows. Politicians like Glenn Youngkin want to turn us against each other—stoking fear against people based on where they come from, what they look like, or how they pray. Our strength and our safety come from our ability to stand up for each other and from having leaders who respect all of us, regardless of where we come from.  

Media Contacts: Roberta Oster, Virginia Interfaith Center,roberta@virginiainterfatihcenter.org  
Kelsey Cowger, Progress Virginia, kelsey@progressva.org, 434-484-2795