In the Virginia AG Race, Who is Fighting Illegal Alien Crime?
This November, Virginia faces a clear choice between an Attorney General who protects its citizens and a candidate who defends illegal aliens.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares' fight against illegal alien crime contrasts starkly with Democrat challenger Jay Jones, who supports giving free benefits to illegal aliens and shielding them from deportation. Miyares has relentlessly prosecuted violent foreign gangs, partnered with the federal government to deport illegal aliens, and opposed redistributing Virginians' tax dollars to foreign lawbreakers.
Prosecuting Violent Immigrant Gangs
In contrast to Jones, who thinks Virginia law "criminalizes black and brown communities" and voted to limit law enforcement's ability to detect illegal aliens, Miyares has made Virginia safer by empowering law enforcement and prosecuting members of violent foreign gangs.
Under Miyares, Operation Bold Blue Line, Operation Free Virginia, and Operation Ceasefire have contributed to a 34% decrease in murders, a 12% decrease in violent crimes, and the seizure of a full ton of narcotics, including 415 pounds of fentanyl.
In March, Miyares launched the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force (VHSTF), involving hundreds of officers from federal and state agencies. Last month, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the VHSTF has arrested 1,000 illegal aliens in the state accused of violent crimes. These included MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members, many of whom engaged in human trafficking.
In April, Miyares led a 27-state coalition of Attorneys General in a brief urging the Supreme Court to lift a district court restraining order that prevented President Donald Trump's administration from deporting violent Tren de Aragua members.
Miyares has not shied away from identifying the open border policies of the Biden-Harris administration for causing violent crime in Virginia.
On May 2, six gang members—five of whom were illegal alien MS-13 members—attacked and stabbed five prison guards in a premeditated attack at a prison in southwest Virginia. All five had been convicted of murder or rape.
In response, Miyares stated: "My office is helping prosecute every single one of the MS-13 gang members behind this brutal attack—five of whom never should’ve been in our country to begin with. Public safety starts with border security."
My office is helping prosecute every single one of the MS-13 gang members behind this brutal attack—five of whom never should’ve been in our country to begin with.
— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) May 6, 2025
Public safety starts with border security. https://t.co/05VeSPjdMQ
Miyares' legal advocacy on behalf of Virginias and his law enforcement task forces have reduced violent crime by illegal aliens and targeted foreign gang activity, a record Jones would not continue.
Deporting Illegal Aliens
Whereas Jones has supported allowing sanctuary cities and opposed law enforcement cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Miyares's encourages state and local law enforcement cooperation with ICE.
Miyares sued the Biden administration over its Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Rule, which aimed to surge "legal" immigration from migrant caravans after the expiration of Title 42, the policy that limited immigration due to COVID-19. Miyares called the Biden rule "a makeshift manual on how to circumvent and exploit our immigration regulations,”
He also joined 21 other states in an amicus brief, supporting Texas' right to detain and deport illegal aliens, noting the Biden administration had turned every state into a border state, and Virginia had an interest in ensuring "validly enacted state laws are not improperly held unconstitutional under incorrect preemption analyses.”
Last September, Miyares issued a legal opinion affirming Virginia law enforcement officers "have both the authority and a moral duty" to cooperate with federal immigration orders "to the maximum extent possible."
He also supported an executive order by Youngkin directing local law enforcement and corrections officers to assist with federal immigration enforcement under Section 2878(g) agreements, which allow the federal government to deputize local law enforcement officers to assist in detaining illegal aliens.
Cooperation between local Virginia law enforcement and ICE will not continue if Jones wins the AG race, resulting in a de facto sanctuary city policy in every corner of the state.
Keeping Tax Dollars Out of Illegal Aliens' Pockets
Unlike Jones, who voted to give tax dollars to illegal aliens to attend college in Virginia, Miyares does not support redistributing Virginia's wealth to foreigners who violate U.S. law.
Miyares not only voted against funding illegal aliens' in-state tuition, he voted against offering them in-state tuition.
He also forcefully supported Youngkin's "No Sanctuary Cities" budget, which would cut off funding to localities that "pander to pro-illegal alien groups." This prevents citizens in conservative parts of the state from having their tax dollars funneled to leftist nonprofits by Democrat-run counties that help illegal aliens violate U.S. law.
Virginians face a clear choice on November 4. Jones's distrust of law enforcement, toleration of sanctuary cities, and support for taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens threatens their safety and wastes their money on people who don't respect them or their state. By contrast, Miyares will continue the successful policies of combating illegal alien crime through aggressive prosecution of foreign gangs, cooperation with ICE, and protecting taxpayer funds from illegal aliens and their leftist enablers.
(READ MORE: Jay Jones Backed Sanctuary Havens for Illegal Alien Criminals—Virginia AG Race)
