The Virginia Senate passed a bill Monday that would make it easier for federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants.
According to The Washington Post, the measure would allow the state's jails and prisons to hold illegal immigrants for as many as two days longer than their sentences. The extension is designed to allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents time to take custody of the individual.
If ICE agents do not show up within the two-day window, the person will be released.
Republicans control Virginia's House and Senate, and the bill is expected to make it through the House and onto the desk of Gov. Terry McAuliffe. A Democrat, McAuliffe will likely kill the bill with a veto.
"The governor will veto this bill and any others that force localities to play a role in immigration enforcement that should be performed by the federal government," spokesman Brian Coy told the Post.
President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to crack down on illegal immigration, and he has already taken steps during his three weeks in office to do just that. He signed a directive that ordered the construction of a wall between the United States and Mexico and said ICE will deport illegal alien criminals living in the U.S.
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