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Virginia leaders are standing behind two incoming laws limiting immigration-enforcement practices after the Trump administration’s Justice Department sued to block them.

The complaint, filed June 11 in the Richmond Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, challenges a ban on law enforcement officers wearing face masks and restrictions on cooperation between federal immigration authorities and state and local agencies.

The General Assembly passed the measures this year, and Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed them in response to the administration’s hardline immigration policies. The lawsuit names Virginia, Attorney General Jay Jones and Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano as defendants.

State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim sponsored both Senate measures.

SB 352 and its companion, HB 1482, ban law enforcement officers from covering their faces while on duty. Violations could be prosecuted as Class 1 misdemeanors.

The law includes exceptions for health-related coverings, SWAT duties and agencies with written policies limiting the use of facial coverings.

SB 783 and companion legislation HB 1441, scheduled to take effect July 1, prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from entering 287(g) agreements. Those arrangements allow local officers who receive federal training to assist with civil immigration enforcement.

Spanberger had already directed state agencies in February to end their existing agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Justice Department alleges federal interference

The Justice Department argues that Virginia cannot regulate federal officers or expose them to prosecution for concealing their identities.

“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said. He called Virginia’s policies unlawful efforts to regulate the federal government and create risks for its agents.

Federal attorneys also described the restriction on immigration-enforcement agreements as unconstitutional.

In its complaint, the department said Virginia is attempting to override laws enacted by Congress that permit ICE to train state and local officers and authorize them to perform immigration-enforcement work under federal authority.

Virginia officials stand by the policies

Jones said his office is reviewing the lawsuit but remains committed to protecting Virginians’ rights to safe communities and transparent law enforcement.

Spanberger also reaffirmed her support. A spokesperson said the governor’s experience as a federal law enforcement officer taught her that transparency, accountability and public trust are essential to enforcing the law and keeping communities safe.

“Law enforcement officers wearing masks on American streets undercuts these basic expectations of accountability, sows fear and confusion, and erodes the public trust that police have worked for years to build within their communities,” the spokesperson said.

Salim declined to discuss the specific legal arguments. He said every bill he introduces is reviewed by nonpartisan attorneys at the Division of Legislative Services and drafted to comply with the state and federal constitutions.

Descano is named because, as a commonwealth’s attorney, he could prosecute alleged violations of the mask ban. The complaint also points to his participation in the Project to Fight Against Federal Overreach, or FAFO, a coalition formed to coordinate enforcement when federal agents allegedly violate state law.

According to the Justice Department, Descano has not ruled out prosecuting federal officers under the mask law. His office had not provided a response.

Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti also belongs to the coalition of Democratic prosecutors coordinating responses to ICE activity, but she is not named in the lawsuit.

Spanberger did not approve every immigration-enforcement restriction passed by lawmakers. She vetoed a measure that would have prohibited civil immigration arrests in certain public locations, including courthouses, schools and health care facilities.

Instead, she issued an executive order directing state agencies to prevent the federal government from accessing state property or using it as a staging area for civil immigration enforcement without a valid warrant or order. The order also called for guidance to help local prosecutors, hospitals, schools and election workers respond to interactions with federal immigration officers.