Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s claim that deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border helps protect the nation from criminals and illegal drugs is a ploy to villainize immigrants, rights advocates said during a recent livestreamed press conference.
Vanessa Cardenas
“It is very unfortunate that Gov. Youngkin is following a very cynical and harmful political strategy to appeal to the MAGA base, which really started when President Trump ran for office using immigration as red meat for his base,” said Vanessa Cardenas, executive director of America’s Voice.
She spoke during a livestreamed briefing hosted by the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights.
Youngkin announced in May his decision to send 100 Virginia soldiers to the U.S. border after a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to help block the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States. Republican leaders in more than a dozen states, including Arkansas, Florida and South Carolina, also agreed to provide guardsmen for Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
Youngkin’s executive order portrayed the military action as necessary to protect Virginia from drug traffickers: “The influx of fentanyl alone presents a severe threat to the commonwealth, costing the lives of five Virginians each day on average.”
And there is the national security issue to consider, Youngkin added separately. “The ongoing border crisis facing our nation has turned every state into a border state. As leadership solutions at the federal level fall short, states are answering the call to secure our southern border.”
Youngkin’s move places him in a growing movement among Republican politicians actively opposing President Joe Biden’s immigration and border security policies despite the fact many rights groups condemn the Biden administration’s asylum measures as draconian.
Abbot has been at the forefront of that opposition. He is currently engaged in a standoff with the U.S. Department of Justice, which has threatened to sue Texas if it does not remove razor wire and buoys it has strung along the Rio Grande and other portions of the border. A Texas state trooper recently revealed that law enforcement officers have been directed to push migrants back into the river and deny them water.
“There’s no supporting evidence to show that migrants who are fleeing persecution are responsible for the influx of drugs in this country.”
Since 2022, Abbott’s Operation Lone Star has sent busloads of immigrants to Washington, D.C., and other sanctuary cities. He and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida also have coordinated efforts to send planeloads of immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard in response to Massachusetts’ pro-immigration stance.
DeSantis, meanwhile, has been ascending the ranks for anti-immigrant politicians. He championed successful state legislation criminalizing the transportation of migrants in Florida and, in a recent presidential campaign speech, called for deploying U.S. military forces to the border and for the mass detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Democrats in Congress, meanwhile, have stepped up calls for the Biden administration to take action to force Abbott to remove border obstacles and to rescind orders to mistreat migrants.
But Youngkin’s attempt to connect immigrants with drug trafficking drew pointed criticism during the coalition event featuring Virginia-based organizations.
“These actions to try to secure the border are just not going to work and they are not supported,” said Sophia Gregg, an attorney with the Virginia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. “There’s no supporting evidence to show that migrants who are fleeing persecution are responsible for the influx of drugs in this country. The vast majority of drugs that enter this country are coming in through legal ports of entry by U.S. citizens.”
The focus instead should be on the economic benefit immigrants provide the state, she said. “Immigrant contributions cannot be overstated. They make up 13% of our population, with $33 billion in spending power. In this state, they contribute $13.4 billion in taxes, including over $4 billion in state and local taxes.”
In a July 18 letter to Youngkin, the coalition added another wrinkle to the claimed need for additional border security: “There is no border crisis. On June 20, 2023, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection released data showing that border agents are encountering a nearly 70% decrease in crossing encounters. Based on the federal government’s own data, the fear of a significant increase in people crossing the southern border is unfounded. As such, we question why you would send state troops to deal with a federal matter with which the federal government has not requested Virginia’s help.”
Karen Vallejos Corrales
Vilifying immigrants is potentially detrimental to the state’s future science, education and health care needs, said Karen Vallejos Corrales, executive director of the Dream Project.
“We see youth, both new arrivals and those who have lived here since they were young children, come and contribute to Virginia. Around 60% of our students are either in the STEM field, education or health care. These are areas that Virginia itself needs. There is a crisis in mental health care providers, health care providers, teachers and education.”
Deploying Virginia National Guard troops to Texas is a waste of tax dollars that otherwise should be used to help residents of the state, said Lenka Mendoza, founder of Dreamers’ Mothers in Action.
The decision also is deplorable for turning immigrants into “political accessories,” she added. “Virginia immigrants were a lifesaver throughout the pandemic, working essential jobs with a humongous physical cost for them and their families. They deserve our appreciation for their efforts instead of being used for political and personal benefit.”
Jerry Foltz
Jerry Foltz, chairman of the board of the Centreville Immigration Forum, condemned Youngkin’s decision as ineffective, misguided and costly. “I urge the governor to rescind his directive and assist marginalized people in need of housing, medical care and good education to strengthen the quality of the lives of our residents,” he said.
Foltz also described the military contribution as hateful: “The governor’s directive and statement only serve to feed the chronic sentiment of racism and the anti-immigration prejudice of a small minority of our Virginia citizens, and it threatens the sense of well-being so deserving of our immigrants who are investing their lives in this commonwealth.”
Sheila Herlihy Hennessee
Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, faith organizer with the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, said the governor’s anti-immigrant posture violates Leviticus 19’s command to love immigrants and to treat them as native-born citizens.
“Sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border is an action that speaks powerfully that the governor is not loving the foreigner as himself, nor prioritizing making Virginia a welcoming place. The people who flee their homeland to come to the U.S. southern border are often seeking safety and a better life, and we as people motivated by our values want to be open and welcoming and supportive of those human desires.”
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