With less than two weeks left in the Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session, three bills authored by a Fairfax state senator that would “end ICE abuses” still have a chance to become law.
Each of the bills introduced by state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D), which would place state-level restrictions on federal immigration enforcement activities, await action by the House of Delegates at large before potentially heading to the governor’s desk.
“I am working closely with the three bill patrons in the House, and we are confident, not only that we will deliver these bills to the Governor’s desk, but that they are the right policies for Virginia, and that they will be upheld by our courts,” Salim told FFXnow.
The bills, which were each passed by the state Senate by three votes or fewer, aim to rein in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies amid the Trump administration’s push for mass deportations. The campaign has led to a surge in arrests by ICE and reports of racial profiling, overcrowded facilities, and multiple deaths of people in ICE custody as well as citizens protesting ICE operations.
The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down since Feb. 13, with Democrats in Congress demanding tighter guardrails on ICE before they’ll agree to provide funding.
The current iteration of SB 351, the first of the bills, would make it a violation of state law to make a civil arrest of anybody attending a required court hearing. The legislation would also require immigration officials to present a judicial warrant before gaining access to the facility.
Last summer, multiple people were reportedly detained by immigration officials inside the Fairfax County Courthouse — an action that would be illegal under the proposed law.
Salim’s other bills, SB 352 and SB 783, would prohibit certain law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings with few exceptions and would limit which members of law enforcement can “perform a function of an immigration officer,” respectively.
“The three bills I introduced share one goal: ensuring that immigrants, protesters, and all Virginians who value peace and justice know the Commonwealth of Virginia and its law enforcement agencies are on their side,” Salim said in January.
After crossing over from the state Senate, all three bills were read for a second time by the House of Delegates yesterday (Tuesday), setting up a possible final vote when the chamber convenes at noon today or later this week.
The House has until March 12 to act on the bills, which require only a majority approval to pass. Democrats, who have a trifecta in state government, currently hold 64 of the chamber’s 100 seats.
If the bills do make it to the desk of Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, she will have until April 13 to sign, amend or veto the legislation under state law.
Spanberger has already taken action to end the cooperation of state law enforcement agencies with ICE, signing an executive order shortly after taking office that ordered the Virginia State Police, Department of Corrections and others to terminate any agreements with the agency.
