An ICE cooperation battle is emerging between the Trump administration and Virginia’s new Democratic governor, as White House border czar Tom Homan says federal deportation efforts will continue despite state-level resistance. The conflict follows Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s executive order directing state and local law enforcement not to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Speaking on the “Ruthless” podcast, Homan criticized Spanberger’s reversal from her campaign messaging. “So, first day in office, she stops being a law enforcement officer and became a politician,” Homan said, referencing her past campaign ads highlighting support for law enforcement and anti-trafficking work. He contrasted that shift with the administration’s current enforcement record.
Homan said the administration has already located 130,000 missing migrant children. “Many of these children were victims of sex trafficking and forced labor,” he said, adding that recent arrests included “sexual predators of children.” He accused Spanberger of abandoning the priorities she promoted during the campaign.
Despite the executive order, Homan made clear that ICE cooperation at the state level is not required for enforcement to continue. “Well, we’ll work around it,” he said, pointing to similar policies in states like New York, California, and Illinois. He said those decisions force ICE to deploy more agents and resources, making enforcement less efficient and increasing risks to public safety.
“When you are knowingly going to release public safety threats in the community, now we’ve got to send a whole team out looking for them,” Homan said. He added that the administration plans to “flood sanctuary cities” with federal agents to compensate.
