RICHMOND, Va. — An immigration lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia says that despite growing concerns about the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Virginia, the group has not confirmed anything at this time.
"I don't think that we can say there's been any substantial increase in ICE presence or enforcement in Virginia," said Sophia Gregg, a senior immigrant rights attorney with the ACLU of Virginia. "What we are seeing is that there are a lot of fears in the community that people are really worried about what will happen, or what may be happening, but a lot of it is just rumors and those fears kind of manifesting and people saying that they're seeing, you know, enforcement, but we have not yet confirmed any sort of raids or workplace raids or home arrests out of the ordinary from, you know, the previous administration."
Gregg said the fear not only comes from misinformation on social media, but also the recent flood of directives from the federal government to ramp up enforcement, including those that rescinded guidelines limiting enforcement actions by ICE or Customs and Border Patrol in or near "sensitive" locations, like schools, churches, or other previously protected areas.
On Sunday, ICE announced it made 956 arrests on just that day.
"What we don't want people to do is preemptively fear that ICE is going to go into schools or that ICE is going to go into hospitals," Gregg said. "What's important is that people continue to live their lives and people continue to seek services, send their kids to school, go to the hospital as they need without being afraid that ICE is going to arrest them or take some sort of action against them."
CBS 6 reached out directly to ICE to confirm reports of increased ICE presence in Central Virginia or possible raids and has not heard back at this time.
On Monday, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula addressed concerns about increased ICE presence at a press conference.
"I have not heard of any validated ICE presence. I heard a lot of concerns that when police are showing up, doing their day-to-day job, that's being misconstrued as ICE. But we'll continue to look into and make sure that people know when we actually do have confirmation of ICE presence on the ground," Avula said.
The same morning, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras sent a message to families encouraging them to continue sending their children to school, maintaining it would follow state and federal protocols when it comes to privacy.
"Our approach to navigating law enforcement's presence on campus will remain the same: It is welcome to the extent that it enhances the safety and well-being of our students and staff. The minute that changes, so, too, will our stance," Kamras said in a video posted on YouTube.
We also reached out to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office and received the following statement from Press Secretary Christian Martinez:
Governor Youngkin supports President Trump’s efforts to deport violent criminals who are here illegally. The Governor made clear in December that Virginia is not a sanctuary state and that localities that refuse to cooperate with the federal government to deport illegal immigrants who commit crimes should lose their funding.
Lacy Green, a Henrico County parent, said she and her friends had seen various posts on social media about an increased ICE presence.
"There's been, you know, on social media, posts of people saying, 'Hey, they're out here, we've seen them, x-y-z,' just to let everyone be aware," Green said.
She said she reached out to Henrico County Public Schools to see if the district would share any messaging with parents in response to the changing directives and fear she said she and other parents may be feeling at this time.
"There is a fear among these children. They're feeling it. So why not provide the overcommunication to just ease these fears amongst people? We don't want to fill in the blanks ourselves," Green said.
A spokesperson with HCPS later told CBS 6 that the division will continue to follow state and federal laws as well as division policies and safety protocols that protect student data and set parameters on who is allowed to have contact with students during the school day.
CBS 6 also reached out to Chesterfield County Public Schools about protocols related to ICE visits at schools. We have not heard back at this time.
Gregg said by law, children must go to school, regardless of immigration status. Families who may have questions about their legal status should reach out to an immigration attorney or consult other legal services as soon as possible.
“The reality is that in Virginia, as of now, you know, nothing has changed, and people should be prepared, but shouldn't be scared," Gregg said.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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