Virginia Rescinds Executive Order on Immigration Enforcement

VA Governor Executive Actions

Published January 17th, 2026

Detected February 13th, 2026

Summary

The Governor of Virginia rescinded Executive Order No. 47 (2025), which had directed state and local law enforcement to assist in enforcing federal civil immigration laws. This action redirects law enforcement resources back to state and local criminal matters.

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What changed

Virginia Governor rescinded Executive Order No. 47 (2025) effective January 17, 2026. The rescinded order had required and encouraged state and local law enforcement to divert resources to enforcing federal civil immigration laws. The Governor stated that federal authorities should handle federal civil immigration enforcement, while state and local law enforcement should prioritize state and local laws and criminal matters.

This rescission means that state and local law enforcement in Virginia will no longer be directed to prioritize federal civil immigration enforcement. Law enforcement agencies should refocus their efforts on investigating criminal activity, staffing jails, and community engagement related to state and local laws. No specific compliance deadline is mentioned as this is a rescission of a prior directive.

What to do next

Update internal policies and training to reflect the rescission of Executive Order No. 47.
Ensure law enforcement personnel are aware that enforcement efforts should prioritize state and local criminal laws.

Source document (simplified)

NUMBER TEN (2026) RESCISSI ON OF EXEC UTIVE ORDER NO. FORTY SEVEN (2025) Ensuring publi c safety in Virginia re quires state and local law enforcement to be focused on thei r core responsibilities of investigati ng and deterring c riminal activity, staffing jails, and comm unity engagement. Since 2025, Virginians have been de prived of critical public safety resources due to t he directives in Exe cutive Order No. 47 (2025) t hat requi re and encourage sta te and loc al law enforcement to divert their limited resources for use in enforci ng federal ci vil imm igration laws. F ederal authorities should enforce federal c ivil immigration laws— law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and sta te laws, an d coordina tion with fe deral entities on crim inal matters. Accordingl y, by virtue of the authority veste d in me as Governor under Article V of the Constitut ion of Virginia and under the laws of the Commonwealth, I hereby rescind Executive Order No. 47 (2025), which is not an appropri ate use of s tat e or local resources. Effective Da te This Exe cutive Order shall become effective upon its signing. Gi ven under my hand and under the Seal of the Commonwealth of Vi rg inia this 17th day of January 2026.

2 Abigail D. Spanber ger, Gove rnor Attest: Jennif er B. Moon, Secret ar y of the Commo nwealth