Virginia legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Virginia HB1441: An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-1726.1, relating to law-enforcement agencies; agreements with federal authority for immigration enforcement; requirements.
Status: Chaptered, April 22, 2026
Law-enforcement agencies; agreements with federal authority for immigration enforcement; requirements. Prohibits any state or local law-enforcement agency, defined in the bill, from maintaining, renewing, or entering into any federal immigration agreement unless such agreement contains certain provisions. The bill also prohibits any person acting in his capacity as a law-enforcement officer to assist, cooperate with, or use any law-enforcement resources to facilitate any operation that seeks to identify, arrest, or otherwise impose a penalty upon an individual for any violation of federal civil immigration law. The bill provides that such prohibition shall not apply (i) if the authority to enforce such laws is otherwise permitted or required by law; (ii) if the person acting in his capacity as a law-enforcement officer is presented with a valid judicial warrant or judicial subpoena that authorizes such enforcement; or (iii) to the transfer of custody of an adult from a state, local, or regional correctional facility upon such correctional facility's receipt of a federal immigration detainer. This bill incorporates HB 1438 and is identical to SB 783.
What the bill says
An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-1726.1, relating to law-enforcement agencies; agreements with federal authority for immigration enforcement; requirements. [H 1441] Approved April 22, 2026 1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 15.2-1726.1 as required provisions. A. For the purposes of this section: "Federal immigration enforcement agreement" means an agreement with a federal agency authorizing a law-enforcement officer or employee of the Commonwealth or any of its localities to perform a function of a federal immigration offi.
From the enrolled text, April 22, 2026:
An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 15.2-1726.1, relating to law-enforcement agencies; agreements with federal authority for immigration enforcement; requirements. [H 1441] Approved April 22, 2026 1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 15.2-1726.1 as required provisions. A. For the purposes of this section: "Federal immigration enforcement agreement" means an agreement with a federal agency authorizing a law-enforcement officer or employee of the Commonwealth or any of its localities to perform a function of a federal immigration officer or an intergovernmental service agreement with a federal agency authorizing the civil immigration detention of a person in a local, regional, or state correctional facility if such facility also detains or incarcerates persons for violations of the criminal laws of the Commonwealth. "Law-enforcement agency" means any state or local agency that employs law-enforcement officers and that has as its principal function the enforcement of the laws of the Commonwealth and its localities. "Law-enforcement agency" includes any sheriff's office, any police department, any local or regional correctional facility, the Department of State Police, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or any other local or state agency or department that performs law-enforcement functions or that was created to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth and its localities. B. Except …