Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger broke her relative silence on multiple controversial issues stemming from her first three-plus months in office, claiming the Old Dominion is not a sanctuary state and pushing back on the context surrounding a damning favorability poll.

Spanberger has been under fire for undoing predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin's 287(g) cooperation agreement with the Department of Homeland Security. The decision has drawn criticism amid allegations that heinous crimes have been committed in Virginia by illegal immigrants, often under the auspices of sanctuary prosecutors. She also faces criticism over an April 21 redistricting effort she backed that would draw out all but one Republican congressman.

What the Left Is Saying

Spanberger defended her immigration enforcement position, stating that Virginia is not a sanctuary state and emphasizing that her directive only affected state agencies, including the Virginia State Police, not placing them under DHS supervision.

"Virginia is not a sanctuary state — full stop," Spanberger said shortly after exiting the Executive Mansion in Richmond. "There's a lot of misinformation out there, certainly everything that you might read on Twitter is not real, but it's actually pretty outrageous some of the things that have been reported along the way."

The governor clarified that her order did not ban localities from entering into their own 287(g) agreements with ICE. "That is not correct. My predecessor said they had to. I simply said I was not forcing them to."

Spanberger also pushed back on the Washington Post poll showing her with the lowest net-favorability rating of any governor going back to the 1990s. "I would say, if everybody hated me, why is everybody putting my face on their mailers for the referendum, would be question number one," she quipped.

She noted that her 17-point swing victory in the election "is the only poll that matters. And now I'm doing the work for Virginia." Spanberger added that her Department of Corrections still provides a monthly list to DHS of noncitizens in its custody, and that task forces continue to work together including the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

What the Right Is Saying

Republicans have criticized Spanberger for undoing the 287(g) agreement, with ICE Director Todd Lyons responding to her comments by suggesting she "read the headlines" about what's going on in Fairfax and elsewhere before breaking with ICE.

"I never thought in my whole career, someone would campaign on going against law enforcement," Lyons told Fox News. "Elected officials like the..." he continued, suggesting Spanberger's position was anti-law enforcement.

Critics have pointed to crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants in Virginia as evidence of the dangers of limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. A bill from Sen. Saddam Salim, D-Dunn Loring, would ban any law enforcement agency in Virginia from engaging in 287(g) agreements unless an officer is presented with a judicial warrant, subpoena, or detainer for a suspected illegal immigrant that has been signed by a judge.

The redistricting effort Spanberger backed has also drawn Republican criticism, with opponents arguing it would effectively draw out all but one Republican congressman from Virginia.

What the Numbers Show

Spanberger won her gubernatorial race with a 17-point swing, a significant margin that she pointed to as validation of her agenda. However, the Washington Post poll showed her with the lowest net-favorability rating of any governor going back to the 1990s, indicating substantial public opposition despite her electoral victory.

A bill from Sen. Saddam Salim arrived on Spanberger's desk March 31 that would ban 287(g) agreements unless certain judicial warrant requirements are met. The legislation represents a more restrictive approach to federal immigration cooperation than Spanberger's executive order.

Spanberger has been in office for approximately three months, a period during which she has faced ongoing criticism over her immigration enforcement decisions and redistricting positions.

The Bottom Line

The clash between Governor Spanberger and federal immigration authorities represents a continuing tension in Virginia's approach to immigration enforcement. Spanberger maintains that Virginia is not a sanctuary state and that her administration continues to cooperate with federal agencies through task forces and information sharing, while critics argue her policies limit essential cooperation with ICE.

The governor's defenders point to her electoral mandate and argue that criticism is politically motivated, while opponents promise continued pressure ahead of the next election cycle. What to watch: whether legislative efforts to further restrict 287(g) agreements gain traction, and how the ongoing disputes affect Spanberger's polling numbers going forward.