FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Laura Trask
Director, Development & Communications
[email protected]
Washington, D.C. (August 5, 2025) – Today, Ayuda condemned Governor Glenn Youngkin’s plan to deploy the Virginia National Guard to support federal immigration enforcement operations.
“At Ayuda, we currently serve nearly 1,000 Virginia residents through our direct legal and social services,” said Ayuda’s Executive Director, Paula Fitzgerald. “Many of our clients are survivors of violence, trafficking, and persecution. All are working hard to build safe and secure lives in our communities. We believe that Virginia’s resources are best used to support solutions that strengthen families, foster community trust, and promote long-term safety and stability — not to criminalize immigrant families working toward a better future.”
Youngkin’s announcement indicated that the Virginia National Guard would assist federal immigration enforcement operations in an “administrative” or “logistical” capacity. Yet no matter how it is framed, allocating resources to aid federal detention and deportation operations harms Virginia immigrants and communities alike.
We urge Governor Youngkin to reverse course and call on all Virginians to stand with our immigrant communities. Virginia should be a place of refuge and inclusion — not fear and enforcement.
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About Ayuda:
Ayuda provides direct legal, social, and language access services to low-income immigrants in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Since 1973, Ayuda has served more than 150,000 immigrants throughout the region. Ayuda is the only nonprofit service provider in the area that provides a wide range of immigration and family law assistance, social services, and language access support for all immigrants – including women, men, and children – from anywhere in the world. Visit www.ayuda.com to learn more.
