Federal Judge Blocks Virginia Law Limiting Cooperation with ICE, Preserving Existing Agreements
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction, temporarily preventing Virginia from enforcing key provisions of a new state law that sought to restrict cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Robert Payne in Richmond ruled on Monday to bar the commonwealth from applying the law against federal immigration officers, employees, or agencies, and from interfering with existing agreements under Section 287(g) of federal immigration law. These agreements permit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to authorize trained state and local officers to perform certain federal immigration enforcement duties. Virginia's new law, which became effective July 1, required existing 287(g) agreements to be rewritten by September 1 to include a dozen new conditions, or else they would be considered void. Judge Payne's order allows these existing partnerships to continue while the legal challenge proceeds. However, one restriction remains in ... 
