RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has vetoed GOP-backed legislation that would have prohibited state and local officials from releasing people from jail if federal immigration officials had requested they be detained.
The Democratic governor vetoed the legislation last week, saying it would unfairly treat immigrants "caught up in a broken immigration system."
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that legislation was an attempt to roll back a 2014 opinion by Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring, which said federal detention requests are not legal requirements.
McAuliffe said in a statement that the legislation attempted to stoke "irrational fears of non-citizens present" in Virginia.
