Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman says a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly and now on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk would likely end the county’s ability to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Chapman told WTOP the bill would likely increase federal immigration enforcement in Loudoun County.

Chapman, who testified about the bill, SB783, during a March 10 hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, said it would require his department to cease its long-held cooperation with ICE. Currently, if ICE issues a detainer, the sheriff’s office will hold a person wanted by ICE for two days, after being released from the Loudoun Detention Center.

Under the new bill passed by lawmakers, state law enforcement agencies would be prohibited from cooperating with ICE, unless the federal agency began following new rules, including restricting enforcement in courthouses and schools, unless ordered by a judge, as well as not wearing masks.

The current situation has worked well for both sides, Chapman said.

“We’re not doing anything out there to enforce immigration law,” Chapman said. “All we’re doing is simply turning over people that ICE wants — it helps them accomplish their job, and it also helps us keep people from going into our community that could cause additional crimes.”

Chapman said the longstanding cooperation has paid benefits.

“You’re not hearing anything about ICE enforcement here in Loudoun County, because of the relationship that we have,” Chapman said. “I’m concerned that what the governor is doing is going to put a crimp in that, on a program that works very well and is keeping our people safe.”

In addition to the bill that is now on her desk, Spanberger has issued two executive orders that end the agreement with ICE that had allowed Virginia State Police troopers and Virginia Department of Corrections officers to assist ICE.

If ICE chooses not to comply with the conditions required in the bill, which would preclude his agency from temporarily holding people behind bars for non-immigration matters, Chapman said federal immigrations officers will have to go looking for people.

“You’re going to have ICE out here more, in the streets, conducting raids and doing that sort of thing when it’s really not necessary,” Chapman said.

“They can get a lot of the folks they want just based on our arrests for things that are independent of immigration.”

Under the current arrangement, after lodging a detainer, ICE comes to the Loudoun detention facility to retrieve a person, “rather than coming out to the neighborhoods, and knocking on doors, and taking people into custody.”

According the General Assembly’s bill and resolution tracker, Spanberger has until April 13, at 11:59 p.m. to take action on the bill.

WTOP is seeking comment from her office, about whether the governor intends to sign it.

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