Last week, Mayor Stoney announced he would continue the longstanding city policy of promoting Richmond as a “welcoming, inclusive” community that leaves inquiries about immigration status to federal agents except in the case of non-citizens taken into custody for crimes. The city appears to be seeking a middle way to avoid tangling with the Republican-dominated General Assembly, which has passed legislation seeking to punish “sanctuary” localities that restrain their police from doubling as immigration agents. Gov. Terry McAuliffe is expected to veto that legislation.
