Ralph Northam on Immigration

Opposed requiring local police to enforce immigration laws

Opinion by ACLU 5/22/19: ACLU-VA opposes SB1156, the so-called anti-sanctuary bill, because it is unnecessary legislation that will make our streets less safe. A combination of the Dillon Rule and existing state mandates make the existence of a sanctuary locality a legal impossibility in the Commonwealth.

Veto message from Gov.Northam: This bill would send a clear message to people across this Commonwealth that law enforcement officials are to be feared and avoided rather than trusted and engaged. The safety of our communities requires that all people, whether they are documented or not, feel comfortable reporting criminal activity and cooperating with local law enforcement investigations.

Legislative Outcome: Passed House 51-47-1 on Feb/19/19; Passed Senate 21-19-0 on Jan/17/19; Vetoed by Gov. Northam on Mar/19/19.

Stand up against ICE; our doors are open

A: I'll work side by side with our attorney general to make sure that ICE is not overstepping their bounds, so that people, especially immigrants, in Virginia aren't living in fear. Something that we are very proud of in Virginia is that we are inclusive. Our lights are on; our doors are open. We will stand up against ICE. We will do everything we can to make sure immigrants are comfortable living here.

Support driver's licenses for illegal immigrants

Republican Corey Stewart slammed Northam's stance as "blatant disregard for the law." Ed Gillespie said, "Virginia plain and simply should not give legal identification to illegal immigrants."

The issue surfaced when Northam was asked where he stood on a proposal to grant temporary driver's licenses to people who can't receive a permanent one because of their immigration status. "We need to make sure that we have immigration reform for this county, we make sure that we have a pathway to citizenship in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and we need to make sure that people have access to driver's licenses," he said. A total of 12 states allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, according to a breakdown of state laws from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Work with federal government to enforce immigration laws

Being smart on crime is just as important as being tough on crime. We need to take low cost steps to help Virginia's finest do their jobs: [including] working with the federal government to enforce immigration laws, rather than diverting scarce state and local resources from other responsibilities.