Virginia National Guard personnel from across the state are being trained this week to assist U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement with operations across Virginia, but officials say the troops are not becoming de facto ICE agents.
A spokesperson for the VNG said the orders came through on Sept. 15 with approximately 40 soldiers and airmen to be deployed to undisclosed locations around the commonwealth by the end of the week. An additional 20 Guard personnel will be mobilized by the end of September.
Spokesperson Cotton Puryear said the soldiers and airmen are coming from various units across Virginia. No one specific unit was being mobilized.
Their mission, he said, is to provide logistics and administrative support, and no one is being deputized.
“VNG personnel will not conduct law enforcement functions, and VNG support will not include making arrests,” Puryear said.
According to Puryear, the extent of the Guard’s participation will include office duties such as answering phones and scheduling appointments, and logistics support, including vehicle maintenance and expense tracking.
Even though they will be working with ICE agents, Puryear said the Guard personnel will always remain under the direct command of Virginia’s governor and the state adjutant general. The cost of mobilizing them is being funded through the Defense Department.
As of now, the VNG support is scheduled to last through mid-November.
Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Virginia National Guard is being mobilized across state to help ICE
