Sheriff says ICE has not conducted operations in Northampton County yet

Pictured: A screen grab of a recent social media video saying ‘possibly ICE’ but was reportedly security detail for the Governor’s husband.

Federal immigration agents have not yet conducted enforcement operations in Northampton County, although such activity is expected at some point, according to the Northampton County Sheriff.

The sheriff addressed the issue during a Board of Supervisors meeting after a board member asked about reports and photographs circulating on social media. Among the vehicles questioned were one seen near a taco truck in Cheriton and another entering Bay Creek.

According to the discussion, the vehicle near the taco truck was connected to Virginia’s first gentleman, the husband of Governor Abigail Spanberger, who had come to the area to ride on the newly opened bike trail. The other vehicle that circulated widely on social media as possibly ICE was reportedly driven by the Cape Charles Police Chief. Neither was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle.

The Sheriff said he recently met with federal agents from ICE’s Salisbury office, which now covers Accomack and Northampton counties. The Eastern Shore was previously covered by the agency’s Norfolk office.

The initial meeting was largely a meet-and-greet and did not include details about planned enforcement activities, the sheriff said. He later met with agents who had been working in Accomack County.

“They have not done any operations in Northampton County yet,” the sheriff said. “But… it will be happening at some point.”

He emphasized that the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, local police departments and other local or state agencies are not participating in the federal operations.

The sheriff said federal agents told him they are not planning to conduct enforcement actions at schools, bus stops, churches or inside businesses. He cautioned, however, that his department has no authority over ICE and could only relay what federal agents told him.

“The only time you may see one of the deputies or one of the police officers with them is because we’ve got a call to mediate a situation,” he said.

When asked whether ICE is seeking anyone in Northampton County, the sheriff replied the agents indicated that they are looking for individuals in both Eastern Shore counties. He said the agents described their targets as people who were previously deported and subsequently returned to the United States or who have criminal records.

He reiterated that this information came from federal agents and that, to his knowledge, social media reports claiming ICE had already begun operating in Northampton County were not accurate.