The governor cited a recent report that stated Enrique Ramirez Cabrera, an alleged illegal immigrant from Peru, was accused of abducting a girl in Manassas, Virginia, by impersonating a police officer. Youngkin also cited other instances of illegal immigrants within the commonwealth, including a man from El Salvador in Fairfax County and two other illegal immigrants who attempted to ram the front gates of Marine Corps Base Quantico using a box truck.

“Sean, this is unbelievable that we’re even having this conversation, and yet you do have Kamala Harris, who was the border czar, who continues to advocate for decriminalizing illegal immigration,” Youngkin said on Fox News’s Hannity. “That is where the nation is.”

Youngkin explained that in Virginia’s Department of Corrections, there are approximately 950 illegal immigrants who have “an open immigration detention order.” Of these immigrants, “nine out of 10” had been previously arrested and incarcerated for “violent felonies,” such as murder, rape, and assault.

The Virginia governor added that it is “unbelievable” that this level of illegal immigration is happening in the United States. He claimed that former President Donald Trump will “fix this” should he win the election. 

Last week, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares slammed Harris for “putting her political agenda above the safety of American citizens,” referencing the report of the abduction in Manassas. He added that the abduction happened because of “betrayal,” not negligence.

This horrific crime is a direct result of Kamala Harris putting her political agenda above the safety of American citizens.

It’s not just negligence; it’s a betrayal. Our communities’ safety should never be sacrificed for reckless, politically driven decisions. https://t.co/ptamwqkTMG

— Jason Miyares (@JasonMiyaresVA) September 8, 2024

Ahead of the 2024 election, Youngkin issued an executive order to “protect legal voters and accurate counts” to fortify the state’s election integrity. The order was made over a month before early voting will start in Virginia on Sept. 20.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) has similarly sought to tighten the state’s election integrity, stating last month that over 1.1 million “ineligible” voters were removed from Texas’s voter rolls. Among those removed, over 457,000 were people who had died, and over 463,000 were people on the state’s suspense list.