Abigail Spanberger, on Day 1, targets ICE, college BOVs, return of DEI

The pomp and circumstance, great. We’ve now finally joined the rest of the world with our first female governor, awesome.

Most important here, Abigail Spanberger is hitting the ground running.

Spanberger is now the governor – the four-year nightmare that was Glenn Youngkin and Jason Miyares running things, over and done with.

First order of business: she put ink to paper on 10 executive orders, including three that I’m going to highlight here, because to me the other seven are procedural gobbledymuck.

In order:

ICE, ICE’d, baby

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Spanberger’s Executive Order 10 rescinds Youngkin’s Executive Order 47, which required state and local law enforcement to divert their resources for use in enforcing federal civil immigration laws.

“Federal authorities should enforce federal civil immigration laws — law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and state laws, and coordination with federal entities on criminal matters,” Spanberger wrote in her EO.

DEI is back

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Spanberger’s Executive Order 9 declares “that it is the firm and unwavering policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia to ensure equal opportunity in all facets of state government.”

“State appointing authorities and other management principals are hereby directed to take affirmative measures, as determined by the Director of the Department of Human Resource Management, to emphasize the recruitment of qualified minorities, women, disabled persons, and older Virginians to serve at all levels of state government,” Spanberger wrote in the EO.

The sound you hear is Harmeet Dhillon shrewing indiscriminately.

De-MAGA-fication of BOVs

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Spanberger’s Executive Order 6 aims to reconfigure the process for appointments to public colleges and universities.

Specifically, the EO directs the Secretary of Education to prepare a report addressing:

• Recommended legislative changes to the Board of Visitors appointment process, including but not limited to (a) the term length for members; (b) the reappointment process; and (c) the term start for new members.
• Recommended changes, whether legislative or policy, to the process used by the Virginia Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments to evaluate potential appointees under § 2.2-2521 of the Code of Virginia.

Spanberger was already busy here, securing the resignations of five MAGA members of the UVA Board of Visitors on Friday, a day before she took the oath of office.