Youngkin claims 500+ arrests of immigrant gang members from task force

MAGA Gov. Glenn Youngkin is claiming that an outfit called the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force has made more than 500 arrests as of Monday, though the governor’s office isn’t able to give us much detail on the nature of the arrests.

A press release from Youngkin’s office claims that 132 people affiliated with MS-13 and Tren de Aragua are among those arrested by the task force, which the release described as “a federal-state partnership established by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat transnational organized crime, gang violence and immigration violations.”

I emailed a spokesperson for the governor’s office to ask for “names, alleged offenses, the status of the cases, and any pending deportations from this group,” but, got nothing.

“The arrests were federal charges. For additional information or comment on the arrests, we defer you to ICE and the DOJ,” the spokesperson wrote me in an email.

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Related

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So much for detail, and without detail, we don’t know that this task force has actually done anything, other than play politics.

“Thanks to the brave men and women of our federal and state law enforcement, more than 500 criminal illegal immigrants, including more than 130 gang-members, are off of Virginia’s streets and facing justice for their crimes,” Youngkin said in a statement in the press release. “All Virginians should be proud that our state troopers and corrections officers are a part of this incredible team of over 200 law enforcement officers. I am grateful for the leadership of President Trump, Attorney General Bondi, Secretary Noem, Director Patel, and Acting Director Lyons. What’s happening in Virginia is a model that should be replicated all across the country.”

“This is the product of unprecedented collaboration between state and federal law enforcement entities working to protect Virginia’s communities,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement included in the release. “Gov. Youngkin and Attorney General Miyares have been incredible partners with the Department of Justice, and we will collaborate with every state in effectuating President Trump’s Make America Safe agenda.”

This all goes away when we elect a Democratic governor and attorney general in November, which can’t come soon enough.

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