The National Guard Bureau has authorized 20 Republican-led states to activate troops in support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through November 2025.
Virginia has become a national hotspot for ICE enforcement, with Fairfax County serving as its epicenter.
This is the result of a combination of state policy changes by Virginia's Governor, Glenn Youngkin, and federal immigration priorities under the 2025 Republican administration. The increase is not arbitrary or merely a result of demographics; it is a direct outcome driven by the simultaneous enactment of Youngkin’s Executive Order #47 and federal immigration policies in Fairfax County, a strongly Democratic area at the center of this activity.
On Aug. 8, Virginia's governor intensified his administration's focus on immigration enforcement. Youngkin announced that the Virginia National Guard is finalizing plans to mobilize approximately 60 of its soldiers and airmen to support U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations with administrative and logistical tasks. He emphasized that the Guard's role would be in administrative support. It would free ICE officials for field operations.
They are expected to be on duty at currently undisclosed locations throughout Virginia by early September 2025, according to an announcement by the Virginia National Guard. The deployment operates under a Title 32 status, which means the Guard is federally funded but remains under the command of the governor of Virginia.
Virginia is one of six Republican-led states that have recently activated or authorized National Guard members. The other states are Florida, Idaho, Iowa, South Dakota and Tennessee. Nevada, Louisiana and South Carolina are in the process of approving similar deployments, according to Newsweek. As of Aug. 15, 2025, there have been no reports of Democratic-led states authorizing their National Guard to assist with ICE enforcement.
The Executive Director of ACLU Virginia, Mary Bauer, strongly opposes the deployment. "Gov. Youngkin claimed that by ordering Virginia's National Guard to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he somehow isn't ordering it to 'do the ICE job' – but that's a fantasy," Bauer said in response to Gov. Youngkin's announcement that he will deploy Virginia's National Guard units for interior immigration enforcement.
"With a long history of military service and the second-highest number of active-duty personnel, Virginians aren't falling for the idea that tasking Virginia's National Guard with immigration enforcement won't undermine its core mission," she said. Bauer added that Youngkin swore "to represent the interests of Virginians – all Virginians, including immigrants."
Youngkin said, "What they are talking about is the collaboration that we currently have for Virginia National Guard troops to be involved in administration of the overall Virginia Homeland Security Task Force. I support this. I think there's a great opportunity for them to bring their capabilities to the administrative side."
The Tahirih Justice Center, which has a Fairfax County office in Falls Church, argues there is no role for the Virginia Guard in enforcing federal immigration law, as it creates a climate of fear and hostility within the immigrant community.
In response to Youngkin's plan, Tahirih's Public Policy Manager Alex Goyette said, "Forcing servicemembers of the Virginia National Guard to aid the deportation process of their own neighbors, often in ways that violate their constitutional right to due process, is abhorrent and in violation of the Guards' sworn oath to defend the Constitution." The Center provides legal aid to immigrant survivors of violence.
The Virginia National Guard stated its personnel will be located at various sites across the state to provide administrative and logistical support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While specific locations aren't publicly listed, the troops will report directly to ICE leadership at their assigned duty locations.
The duration of National Guard deployments varies depending on the mission and the authority under which they are activated, according to the Guard. A recent authorization from the Secretary of Defense to the National Guard Bureau for several states to activate troops for ICE support is set to last through Nov. 15. The deployment of the Guard follows Youngkin’s Feb. 27 Executive Order 47, which aimed to increase cooperation between Virginia's state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
Despite the state's push for increased cooperation, citing specific criminal incidents to justify the need for greater collaboration, Fairfax County maintains its stance on existing policies, procedures, and General Orders of its Police Department.
Following recent reports of ICE agents arresting immigrants at the Fairfax County Courthouse, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office said that the Sheriff’s Office "does not participate in any ICE arrests. … Nothing has changed in how the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office handles instances when ICE visits the courthouse."
According to the spokesperson, the courthouse is a public building. "Federal officers – including ICE agents, FBI, and DEA – are allowed in the courthouse once they have secured their firearms in a locker."
When asked to reaffirm whether the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office continues to limit its cooperation with ICE, such as not holding individuals solely based on ICE detainer requests unless a judicial warrant is issued, the spokesperson said, "Fairfax County Sheriff's Office policies have not changed in this regard, and we will not hold a person past their release date without a judicial warrant. To read our policy on this, please visit our website."
The UC Berkeley Deportation Data Project found that since the inauguration, Fairfax County ICE arrests have doubled, with a significant percentage of those arrested having no criminal conviction.