Richmond announces new ‘trust policy’ on immigration status disclosure

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Richmond Mayor Danny Avula announced a new “trust policy” Monday establishing rules for how city employees interact with federal immigration authorities.

Richmond is now one of a handful of localities in Virginia to pass similar guidelines, including Arlington and Fairfax.

The policy states the City of Richmond will comply with ICE only when legally required to.

City officials said the policy is meant to make Richmond a more welcoming place for everyone, regardless of immigration status.

“A well rounded life means more than just getting by. It means taking your kids to school, going to work, seeing a doctor, and being a part of this city without looking over your shoulder,” Councilor Nicole Jones of the 9th district said.

There has been a spike in ICE activity over the past couple of years. Immigrants in the Richmond community say it is taking a toll on them.

“Many of us live in fear and anxiety today. Nobody is exempt, regardless of your immigration status,” said Djakaria Konate, president of the African Community Network.

The policy states no city employee can request or disclose the immigration status of someone unless it’s required, including if there’s a judicial warrant or court order.

“For the vast majority of things that we do as a city, we don’t need to know your immigration status,” Avula said.

The policy also says Richmond police will not ask about anyone’s immigration status.

Another part of the policy includes training employees on how to deal with ICE if agents show up.

“The answer to that in our trust policy we’ve outlined that the Richmond Police department would come and verify whether they are there legitimately or not,” Avula said.

Richmond Public Schools put in place a similar policy back in February of 2025.

The Richmond Sheriff’s Office is not required to follow the trust policy because it is a separate constitutional office.

“We will certainly share it will her, we will encourage the Sheriff to do many of the same things we’re doing in the city but I can’t speak to how that’s going to play out in the jail,” Avula said.

When asked what would happen if a city employee was found to be in violation of the policy, Avula there would be disciplinary actions, but that the severity of that would depend case by case.

Many of the policy’s details are still being worked out. The city hopes to have it implemented by the end of the year.

“You can have trust but if you don’t know that it exists. That was a lot that we heard, and I think this policy does that for us,” Jones said.