FIRST ON FOX: The Justice Department sued The Commonwealth of Virginia on Thursday over two new laws the DOJ says would subject masked federal agents to criminal penalties and threaten local ICE cooperation agreements."Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties," said acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in comment provided to Fox News Digital on Thursday."Virginia’s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents.
These laws cannot stand."The lawsuit, first shared with Fox News Digital, argues Virginia is violating the Constitution by attempting to dictate how federal officers carry out law enforcement operations — including when they can wear masks, what identifying information they must display and whether local agencies can maintain ICE cooperation agreements unless the federal government accepts state-imposed conditions.The DOJ said the laws threaten officer safety, undermine federal immigration enforcement and violate the Supremacy Clause.At the heart of the suit, are a pair of laws that Democratic Virginia Gov.
Abigail Spanberger signed, which are set to take effect on July, including: one restricting law enforcement officers, including federal officers, from wearing facial coverings while on duty and requiring them to display identifying information, and another imposing state-mandated conditions on federal immigration enforcement agreements.ICE PRESSURES SPANBERGER AS FAIRFAX MURDER SUSPECTS TRIGGER NEW DETAINERS IN ‘SANCTUARY’ CLASHThe Justice Department sued Virginia over laws that officials say could punish masked federal agents and dismantle local ICE cooperation deals.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)The DOJ said federal officers who violate Virginia’s mask and identification law could face a Class 1 misdemeanor, punishable under Virginia law by up to 12 months in jail...