CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — A Virginia congresswoman is speaking out about federal immigration authorities at the Chesterfield County Circuit Courthouse after more than a dozen arrests were made there in June.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan visited the courthouse Monday to discuss what she calls "overly aggressive immigration enforcement activities."
The Clerk of Chesterfield Circuit Court Amanda Pohl has expressed concerns about the impact of immigration authorities there. She says her office has taken calls from people regarding whether they should even come to court.
McClellan says that is a fear she shares.
"We have seen people who have been disappeared by ICE agents with masks with no identification," McClellan said. "And it is not making our community safe. It's having the opposite effect."
CBS 6 reached out to Governor Glenn Youngkin Monday about McClellan's concerns, and he referred us to his earlier conversation with Tyler Layne, saying he stands by the state's partnership with federal authorities.
"When there is someone who has broken the law, who is here illegally, when they are in fact, arrested, that it does something to make neighborhoods less safe, and it just doesn't hold water. It just doesn't," Youngkin said.
While Chesterfield Sheriff Karl Leonard acknowledges the concerns about people showing up to court, he says ICE has every right to be in a public space and has been over the past 10 years.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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