{"id":2650587,"date":"2026-08-27T14:38:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignvirginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T14:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:42:14","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignvirginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignvirginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia AG To Shield Illegals, Bureaucrats From Fed Accountability"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignvirginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2650587&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones establishing a dedicated legal team to challenge federal actions perceived as overreach by the Trump administration. This move coincides with a important ICE operation that arrested over 1,300 illegal aliens throughout Virginia and Maryland. jones&#8217;s unit aims to contest federal policies across various issues including immigration,funding,healthcare,and environmental protections.Virginia\u2019s proximity to Washington, D.C., makes it a hub for federal agencies and bureaucrats, many of whom influence local politics. Jones&#8217;s efforts include opposing cooperation with ICE, investigating sheriffs working with immigration authorities, and defending state sovereignty against federal intrusion. Critics argue that many detained illegal aliens have committed serious crimes, though some media downplay this, claiming most detainees are non-violent. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-campaign-officials-meet-with-skeptical-senators-ahead-of-crucial-news-conference-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Biden campaign officials meet with skeptical senators ahead of crucial news conference - ...\">article highlights tensions<\/a> between state and federal authority, with Virginia asserting its stance against federal policies it opposes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=xx2CuWlrEBI\">WRIC ABC 8News \/ YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/27\/virginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Virginia AG Launches Office To Protect Illegals And Bureaucrats From Federal Accountability&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/27\/virginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Virginia AG Launches Office To Protect Illegals And Bureaucrats From Federal Accountability&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/27\/virginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/27\/virginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Virginia AG Launches Office To Protect Illegals And Bureaucrats From Federal Accountability&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/27\/virginia-ag-launches-office-to-protect-illegals-and-bureaucrats-from-federal-accountability\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\">                     <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); pfTrackEvent(&#039;Virginia AG Launches Office To Protect Illegals And Bureaucrats From Federal Accountability&#039;); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\">                     <span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span>                     <\/a>                 <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<div class=\"pf-content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the same day Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/news\/releases\/ice-operation-safe-community-washington-dc-nets-more-1300-arrests-throughout-virginia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> a successful operation to arrest more than 1,300 illegal aliens throughout Virginia and Maryland, Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones launched a legal team to stop federal activity in the commonwealth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jones\u2019 \u201cLegal Unit to Confront Unprecedented Trump Administration Overreach\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oag.state.va.us\/media-center\/news-releases\/3106-attorney-general-jones-forms-dedicated-legal-unit-to-confront-unprecedented-trump-administration-overreach\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">covers<\/a> more than just immigration enforcement, and will insert itself into issues including \u201cfederal funding, elections, healthcare, immigration, environmental protections, consumer issues, constitutional rights, tariffs and other economic policies, and the continuing fallout from DOGE\u2019s cuts to the federal workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3965159670\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virginia is a major hub of federal workers, with its northern region bordering Washington, D.C., and it houses the Department of War, CIA, TSA, and many more federal agencies. Many of those permanent, unaccountable bureaucrats become important constituents for Democrats and often help them carry the state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jones said his \u201cteam will be ready to act \u2026 when the President attacks our democracy.\u201d The federal Eastern District of Virginia has a track record of judicial activism against the Trump administration, persistently interfering with executive action: blocking the <a href=\"https:\/\/valawyersweekly.com\/2026\/05\/29\/virginia-federal-judge-blocks-trump-weaponization-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anti-Weaponization Fund<\/a>; blocking the federal government from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biometricupdate.com\/202608\/judge-blocks-trump-administration-bid-for-driver-identity-database\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collecting data<\/a> on commercial drivers (CDL holders), many of whom are foreign migrants who cannot speak English and end up killing people; stopping policies that would keep Third World <a href=\"https:\/\/refugeerights.org\/news-resources\/federal-judge-rules-travel-ban-doesnt-apply-to-asylum-seekers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asylum seekers<\/a> from coming into the country; and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/29\/trump-doj-judges-virginia-court-lindsey-halligan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deciding<\/a> the president is not allowed to pick his own U.S. attorneys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Jones <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oag.state.va.us\/media-center\/news-releases\/3100-attorney-general-jay-jones-blocks-trump-administrations-unlawful-demand-of-cdl-drivers-personal-information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> his coalition of state attorneys general were successful in stopping the Trump administration\u2019s attempt to get information on CDL holders in an attempt to track down illegals or migrants who are not capable of safely operating trucks and putting an end to the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/08\/scotus-truck-drivers-cant-read-english-kill-americans-trump-needs-take-action\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">foreigner-fueled road deaths<\/a> plaguing the country. One recent massacre of five happened in Virginia.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jones is also taking action against local sheriffs who work with ICE to arrest and deport illegals. Earlier this month, Jones <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo?fbid=1399795718920356&#038;set=pcb.1399795978920330\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">launched<\/a> an investigation into the Greene County, Virginia, sheriff whose office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cvilletomorrow.org\/49-people-were-arrested-in-a-joint-operation-between-the-greene-county-sheriff-and-ice-a-week-before-a-new-state-law-would-have-restricted-cooperation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worked<\/a> with ICE in an operation. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Greene County is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vpap.org\/localities\/greene-county-va\/election-results-map\/?election=11831\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republican plus-24 county<\/a>, and Sheriff Steven Smith, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/07\/01\/doj-sues-virginia-for-trying-to-ban-most-popular-rifle-in-america\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sheriffs and Commonwealth\u2019s Attorneys in other Republican-majority counties<\/a> on Second Amendment issues, is asserting his position as a \u201cconstitutional officer,\u201d with responsibilities distinct and outside the jurisdiction of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-ag-barr-authorizes-federal-prosecutors-to-pursue-substantial-allegations-of-voting-irregularities-before-2020-election-is-certified\/\" title=\"BREAKING: AG Barr Authorizes Federal Prosecutors to Pursue &quot;Substantial Allegations&quot; of Voting Irregularities Before 2020 Election is Certified\">attorney general<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI was elected by the citizens to keep the county safe, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m arresting people that have warrants. They can\u2019t stop me from doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But local Virginia media are running cover for Jones and other Democrats, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wric.com\/news\/taking-action\/central-virginia-detainee-statistics-aug-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claiming<\/a> that a \u201cmajority of Virginia ICE detainees aren\u2019t criminals, let alone violent ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ICE data states that more than 15,000 illegals have been arrested in Virginia since Trump took office, which is \u201cover four times the amount of ICE arrests made in Virginia in the two years prior to Trump\u2019s inauguration,\u201d local outlet WRIC bemoaned. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The outlet then went on to shift the goalposts from the mainstream argument that illegal aliens deserve to be removed from the country by the very nature of their being here in the first place to the contention that they must have committed a separate violent crime to be considered for deportation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe vast majority of people being detained by ICE\u00a0throughout the nation\u00a0have no criminal convictions \u2014 and what convictions they do have are\u00a0largely nonviolent,\u201d the article stated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The largest offense category ICE lists, however, is driving under the influence of liquor, at 1,069, which is an offense notorious for resulting in the death of innocent people. The second-highest offense is assault at 402, which is inherently violent.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Breccan F. Thies<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreccanFThies\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@BreccanFThies<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/breccan-thies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags no-print bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/cdl\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">CDL<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/eastern-district-of-virginia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Eastern District of Virginia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ice\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ICE<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/illegal-aliens\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">illegal aliens<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/immigration-and-customs-enforcement\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jay-jones\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jay Jones<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/judicial-activism\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">judicial activism<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/judicial-coup\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">judicial coup<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Virginia<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia AG launches legal team to oppose federal overreach amid ICE arrests<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2650588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-27-134403.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50810,84774,3813,5894,5468],"class_list":["post-2650587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ag-2","tag-federal-accountability","tag-immigration","tag-politics","tag-virginia"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-27-134403.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650587"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650591,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650587\/revisions\/2650591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}