‘No person is illegal’: Central Virginians rally in solidarity with Los Angeles ICE protesters

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- As protests against federal immigration enforcement continue to ripple across the country, Central Virginians are rallying in support of demonstrators in Los Angeles.

"It's my duty to support other communities," said protester Diana Ganey.

In Chesterfield County, protesters held signs the evening of Monday, June 9, and chanted slogans -- such as “Not in L.A. or V.A., immigrants are here to stay” -- while standing in solidarity with Californians who have filled the streets for days.

“No person is illegal on stolen land,” Ganey said.

Since last Friday, thousands have marched in Los Angeles in opposition to the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In response, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and U.S. Marines to intervene.

"It’s only deployed by the president if there’s an actual rebellion against the U.S. government," said Marissa Jackson Sow, a University of Richmond (UR) associate law professor.

Traditionally, the decision to call in the National Guard would fall to a state’s governor. In this case, that is California Gov. Gavin Newsom. However, that was not how this situation played out.

"I did call him [Newsom] the other night," Trump said. “I said, 'Look, you gotta take care of this. Otherwise, we're sending in the troops.' And that's what we did."

In turn, Newsom announced California is preparing to sue the Trump administration, asserting that the state never requested military involvement. The Los Angeles Police Department had previously said it had the situation under control.

June 9 protest against ICE in Chesterfield County. (Photo: Jakobi Davis/8News)

"Title 10 -- that's what President Trump is invoking here," Jackson said. "It only applies if there's a rebellion against the U.S. government. Donald Trump is saying, because ICE is federal, that that is equivalent to the rebellion against the U.S. government."

As for Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin's office shared a statement with 8News, reading:

"Our public safety agencies continuously monitor potential threats and maintain very close contact and an excellent working relationship with all federal partners."

U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (VA-01) also shared a statement with 8News, which reads as follows:

"The United States of America is a nation of laws, and the president has the responsibility to protect the safety and security of the American people. We are seeing cities and communities across the country overwhelmed as they face the challenge of housing and providing services to the influx of migrants, an out-of-control fentanyl crisis, rising crime and massive strains on schools and other community services. I remain focused on ensuring that our nation’s immigration laws are enforced and that our immigration programs work properly. I’ll continue to monitor the situation in LA and support the federal government working in concert with local and state officials.”

As far as Richmond goes, Mayor Danny Avula has repeatedly stated that Richmond Police will not work with ICE.