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Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed legislation barring most law enforcement officers from covering their faces while on duty, but vetoed a separate measure that sought to restrict federal civil immigration arrests at courthouses, schools, health care facilities and other public locations.
The Democratic governor announced Wednesday that she signed SB 352, sponsored by Fairfax state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim, and its House companion, HB 1482. She rejected SB 351 and HB 650, arguing that their restrictions on federal immigration officers would create an unworkable conflict between state and federal law.
Spanberger paired the actions with an executive order directing state agencies to deny federal officials access to state property for civil immigration enforcement or staging unless they present a valid warrant or order.
The order also requires Virginia to develop guidance for local prosecutors, hospitals, schools and election workers interacting with federal immigration officers. The state plans to create a website explaining residents’ rights and allowing them to report allegedly unlawful conduct by federal agents.
“Law enforcement officers wearing masks on American streets undercut basic expectations of accountability, sow fear and confusion, and erode the public trust,” Spanberger said. She cited the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota while criticizing what she called fear-based policing and “enforcement theatre.”
Spanberger’s office said immigration-related detentions in Virginia have risen significantly since President Donald Trump began his second term in January 2025.
About 30% of the roughly 14,687 people detained in Virginia between January 2025 and March 2026 had criminal convictions, according to information collected by the Data Deportation Project and reported by WRIC. In more than 200 cases, the most serious offense was a traffic violation.
Mask ban carries criminal penalties
The face-covering law includes exceptions when masks are needed to prevent infection or exposure to toxic substances, as well as when officers are performing official SWAT duties.
A violation can be prosecuted as a Class 1 misdemeanor, carrying a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
Spanberger previously proposed removing both the misdemeanor classification and a provision requiring officers to display clothing or a badge identifying themselves and their agency. The General Assembly rejected those changes during its reconvened session last month.
Salim said the final law would strengthen transparency and accountability by ensuring that public employees are identifiable during interactions with residents.
“At a time when Virginians expect both safety and accountability from their institutions, this legislation reinforces the principle that law enforcement should operate openly and with the public’s confidence,” he said.
Del. Charlie Schmidt, who represents portions of Richmond and Chesterfield County and sponsored the House version, said the law reflected legislators’ determination to protect Virginians from what he described as dangerous and unlawful federal immigration enforcement.
Governor calls arrest restrictions unworkable
The vetoed legislation would have designated schools, health care facilities, courthouses, polling places and commonwealth’s attorney offices as protected areas where federal civil immigration enforcement was prohibited.
Federal immigration officers seeking to make an arrest inside a courthouse would have been required to show identification, provide justification for entering and present a judicial warrant approved by a court or judge. Courthouse police and security personnel would have been barred from admitting officers who did not meet those requirements.
The measures also would have treated warrantless civil arrests in courthouses as contempt of court, punishable by a $250 fine or as many as 10 days in jail. Virginia’s attorney general would have been authorized to pursue civil cases against violators.
Spanberger had proposed stripping out the courthouse arrest requirements and specified penalties. Her substitute also addressed qualified immunity claims and would have imposed a two-year deadline for civil lawsuits. Legislators rejected those revisions.
“I appreciate the goal and intended purpose of this bill, but in practice, this legislation would not achieve the intended goals,” Spanberger said. She argued that it could force security guards and local law enforcement officers to choose between violating state law and violating federal law.
The governor said she understood lawmakers’ desire to reassure immigrant families that they could use courts, schools and other services without fear of detention. However, she warned that presenting those locations as protected when federal law offered no such guarantee could put families at risk.
Salim and Del. Katrina Callsen, who sponsored the House measure, said the veto undermined public safety and accountability. They pledged to continue pursuing protections for immigrant communities and criticized Spanberger for declining to confront the Trump administration’s policies.
Separate cooperation limits become law
Salim, whose district includes Tysons, Vienna, Oakton and the cities of Falls Church and Fairfax, also sponsored SB 783. That measure prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from entering cooperative agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or using their resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws.
The General Assembly approved an amendment expanding an exception for transfers from prisons and jails. In addition to adults convicted of violent felonies, the exception now covers any adult subject to a judicial warrant.
Spanberger signed SB 783 on April 22. It will take effect July 1.