The city of Richmond, as well as Henrico, Chesterfield and — curiously — Hanover counties are included on a list of local jurisdictions that President Donald Trump’s administration says are “deliberately and shamefully” refusing to enforce federal immigration laws. 

The list, in line with an executive order issued by Trump this April, was posted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Thursday night. Jurisdictions were identified based on “compliance with federal law enforcement, information restrictions, and legal protections for illegal aliens.” 

DHS has said any local government appearing on the list will be required to review and revise its policies “to align with Federal immigration laws and renew their obligation to protect American citizens, not dangerous illegal aliens.” 

Richmond officials have openly said they will not cooperate with the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation efforts. Mayor Danny Avula this winter vowed that “Richmond police officers will not be doing the work of deportation,” while Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards has said that “folks who have concerns about their immigration status will have no issues with the Richmond Police Department.” 

Richmond Public Schools, which serves growing numbers of immigrant children, has also set strict limits on Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to schools. 

Ross Catrow, a spokesperson for the city, on Friday said Richmond “does not describe itself as a ‘sanctuary city’” although he noted that RPD has not signed a formal immigration enforcement partnership with ICE known as a 287g agreement.  

In a statement, Edwards emphasized that community trust in police is critical to ensuring public safety.

“Recently, several armed robberies occurred in South Richmond where the suspect targeted Spanish-speaking individuals,” he said. “As a result of previous RPD outreach in that community and with assistance of local stakeholders, all seven victims and witnesses testified, resulting in a conviction. They also appeared at sentencing which assisted the bench in handing down an appropriate sentence.” 

“This illustrates the focus on connection, trust, and public safety bringing benefits to everyone,” he continued.

Some localities push back after inclusion on list

Why other jurisdictions are included among the 33 in Virginia flagged by DHS is less clear.

Officials for Hanover County, a politically conservative and largely rural county north of Richmond that voted 62% for Trump in November, said in a release that they “do not know why the County is on this list.” 

“We want to be clear: Hanover County follows all federal laws,” the county wrote. “The Sheriff’s Office cooperates fully with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whenever assistance is requested. Neither the County, the Board of Supervisors, the Sheriff or the Commonwealth’s Attorney take any action that would interfere with federal immigration enforcement.” 

Two towns in the southwestern part of the state are also included on the list of noncompliant Virginia cities: Duffield, a town in Scott County that at the last census count had 73 residents, and Tazewell, the seat of Tazewell County. 

So too is “Martinsville County,” which does not exist. The city of Martinsville, which does, appears on the sanctuary cities list, although its inclusion is being disputed by the police department and sheriff’s office. 

“We are currently attempting to contact officials with the Department of Homeland Security to correct this error on their part,” said Martinsville Chief of Police Robert Fincher in a statement reported by WDBJ. “We will also inform them that the Commonwealth of Virginia does not have a Martinsville County.” 

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org