Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones is drawing criticism for his actions related to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda, specifically a civil rights investigation into a rural sheriff's traffic stop practices and a legal challenge to federal access to commercial driver records.
Virginia House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, accused Jones’ office of hindering law enforcement and cooperating with the federal government. Kilgore pointed to Jones' scrutiny of Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith and a lawsuit that blocked federal access to commercial driver records as evidence of a broader unwillingness by Virginia’s Democratic leadership to work with the Trump administration.
"That's just this whole administration's modus operandi, to put it bluntly, they are so mad at Trump, they want to make sure they don't want to cooperate with Trump in any area whatsoever, and they want make it unsafe for Virginians," Kilgore told Fox News Digital.
The criticism comes as Jones’ Office of Civil Rights has notified Sheriff Smith that it launched an investigation into allegations that the Greene County Sheriff’s Office’s traffic stop practices may violate state law and the Constitution, particularly concerning its cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
"I applaud the Greene County sheriff for working with ICE to make that we don't have illegals on our roads, illegals out here committing crimes and things of that nature, unlike our attorney general, who's the chief law enforcement officer of our state out here picking fights with sheriffs over illegal immigrants," Kilgore said.
Smith’s deputies have participated in several operations with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A June operation near the intersection of U.S. 29 and U.S. 33 resulted in 49 individuals being detained by ICE. Another operation in nearby Ruckersville in May led to the arrest of 26 people, including a Honduran national identified by the Department of Homeland Security as an MS-13 gang member.
Smith previously defended his department's operations, stating that deputies apply reasonable suspicion, the same standard used for all vehicles, to initiate traffic stops. Activists have accused deputies of profiling, while Smith noted that speeding, failure to maintain a lane, and running red lights most frequently prompt stops.
"Oh, look, the Virginia AG is going after a cop for doing actual cop things," former Del. Nick Freitas commented.
Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith declined to comment, citing his retention of counsel, but has previously stated he will continue to assist ICE with their operations, even after discussions with state lawmakers regarding new legislation.
Alongside the investigation into Sheriff Smith, Jones joined a lawsuit challenging a Trump administration directive seeking a bulk transfer of commercial driver records. This directive aimed to scrutinize drivers who do not meet English-language requirements or are accused of causing fatal accidents. Jones celebrated a temporary block on this transfer, calling it an "important win for protecting the privacy of millions of commercial drivers."
Kilgore characterized the lawsuit as another attempt to oppose the federal administration, stating, "Once again, we're siding with illegals or foreigners who are here driving 18-wheelers… who could harm our citizens because they're not qualified."