Wednesday, April 2, 2025
POST-EVENT PRESS RELEASE

Alexandria, VA, April 2, 2025 —Yesterday, immigration advocates and faith leaders from multiple religious traditions hosted a 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.

“As people of faith and people of goodwill, we are here to speak in support of our immigrant neighbors. Through budget amendments and an Executive Order, the Governor has tried to push communities into an adversarial relationship with immigrants,” said Sheila Herlihy Hennessee. “One perspective shared by all the faith leaders speaking today is that we are called to welcome our immigrant neighbors, not criminalize them.”

Speakers:

  • 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 Mt. Zion Baptist
  • Rev. Julio Hernandez, Executive Director, the Congregation Action Network
  • Dr. Charles Turner, Board Member, the Virginia Muslim Civic League
  • Rev. William Levwood, Accotink Unitarian Universalist Church
  • Kenn Speicher, Co-Founder, NoVA Friends of Refugees
  • Vicki Fishman, Director of Virginia Government & Community Relations, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington
  • Chris Kaiser, Policy Director, ACLU of VA
  • Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director, Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights

Legislative amendments and executive orders addressed on today’s press conference:

  • 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 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 EO 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.

Press Contacts:
Roberta Oster, Virginia Interfaith Center, roberta@virginiainterfatihcenter.org

Kelsey Cowger, Progress VA, 434-484-2795, kelsey@progressva.org