RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) answered questions this week about whether he supported campaign promises President-elect Donald Trump made leading up to his Election Day win.
One of those promises relates to immigration which Trump's team considered a day-one priority, with a focus on removing immigrants who have committed crimes.
"The President has been very clear that illegal immigrants who are violating the law, who have broken the law, are going to be sent home, and I fully support that," Youngkin said.
Trump has promised to stage the largest deportation operation in American history.
There are an estimated 11 million people in the country illegally.
Questions remain about how people in a mass raid would be identified and where they would be detained.
Some advocates warn that mass deportations will do more harm than good.
The League of United Latin American Citizens says it is already planning to fight Trump's immigration policies, while the ACLU says it is planning legal challenges.
Youngkin on Trump's education plan
Youngkin also shared his thoughts about Trump's push to dismantle the Department of Education and turn over some of those educational responsibilities to the states.
"[It's] allowing the states to do what we do best," Youngkin said. "Quality education is defined at the state level. We're the ones that are driving for excellence in our standards. We're the ones that have put in all of the support for intensive tutoring and to combat chronic absenteeism."
Trump has proposed using federal funding as leverage to pressure K-12 school systems to abolish tenure and adopt merit pay for teachers.
He has also called for pulling federal funding “for any school or program pushing Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children.”
In higher education, Trump proposed taking over the accreditation process for colleges, a move he describes as his “secret weapon” against the “Marxist Maniacs and lunatics” he says control higher education.
During Trump's campaign, there was speculation that Governor Youngkin would be asked to join the Trump administration.
Youngkin said this week that he would stay in Virginia and fulfill his final year in office.
Trump won both the popular and Electoral College votes in his race against Democratic challenger Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris received more votes in Virginia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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