Some Southwest Virginia localities are listed as “sanctuary” jurisdictions by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The list, issued Thursday, includes Tazewell County and the towns of Abingdon, Duffield and Tazewell, according to a list of the department’s website.
“Sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities. Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril,” DHS said in a written statement.
“Each jurisdiction listed will receive formal notification of its non-compliance with federal statutes. DHS demands that these jurisdictions immediately review and revise their policies to align with federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens,” according to the statement.
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The town of Abingdon issued a statement Friday, saying it was recently made aware of its inclusion on the Department of Homeland Security’s list of sanctuary jurisdictions. This designation came without prior notice or explanation.
“Upon learning of the listing, we immediately contacted the Office of the U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith for assistance in correcting the error. We also contacted our federal law enforcement partners and have been advised that Abingdon will be removed from the list,” according to the statement. “The Abingdon Police Department remains in full compliance with federal law and maintains strong, ongoing cooperation with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.” The town of Tazewell issued a similar statement on Friday. “Without a proper notification from DHS, we are unable to provide any answers to our constituents at this time as to why DHS felt our municipality should be included in their Sanctuary Jurisdiction list. The town of Tazewell maintains that inclusion on the DHS Sanctuary Jurisdiction List was in error, and that our town of Tazewell Police Department complies with all federal and state immigration regulations. We are currently working to contact DHS to correct this listing,” according to the statement. Griffith, R-9th, issued a statement Friday, saying he was seeking additional information.“Ninth District law enforcement organizations and localities are very cooperative with the federal government in the handling and detainment of illegal aliens,” Griffith said in the statement.
“It is a surprising development to see some of our localities listed as ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ by DHS. My office has been in contact with our liaisons in the federal government for an explanation and solution. As of now, we do not have a definitive answer. However, it appears that there may be some paperwork anomalies related to federal detainers, particularly at some regional jails,” Griffith said.
Griffith said he hopes to have additional information next week.
Other Virginia cities include Alexandria, Charlottesville, Hampton, Lynchburg, Manassas, Martinsville, Newport News, Portsmouth, Richmond and Virginia Beach.
A separate listing on the Center for Immigration Studies website lists sanctuary communities including the city of Norton and Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wise counties.
The region is served by the Southwest Regional Jail Authority which operates in Abingdon, Duffield, Haysi and Tazewell.
That list includes the following statement:
“These cities, counties, and states have laws, ordinances, regulations, resolutions, policies, or other practices that obstruct immigration enforcement and shield criminals from ICE — either by refusing to or prohibiting agencies from complying with ICE detainers, imposing unreasonable conditions on detainer acceptance, denying ICE access to interview incarcerated aliens, or otherwise impeding communication or information exchanges between their personnel and federal immigration officers.”