Virginia AG Jay Jones Probes Sheriff Stops, Fights Transfer of 17 Million Driver Records
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 27
Virginia AG Jay Jones Probes Sheriff Stops, Fights Transfer of 17 Million Driver Records
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 27
Summary
Jay Jones opened a civil-rights investigation into Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith, demanding records on traffic stops, immigration-enforcement policies, training materials and agreements with federal agencies.
The probe centers on allegations that Smith’s office conducted stops violating state law and the Constitution while cooperating with ICE, though Smith has said deputies use the same reasonable-suspicion standard applied to all drivers.
Greene County deputies have joined multiple ICE operations along U.S. 29 and U.S. 33, including a June sweep in which 49 people were detained and a May operation that included an alleged MS-13 member.
Jones also joined a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s request for a bulk transfer of commercial-driver data covering about 17 million drivers; a federal judge temporarily blocked the handover.
The disputes have become a flashpoint in Virginia’s broader shift away from ICE cooperation under Gov. Abigail Spanberger, drawing Republican accusations that Democrats are undermining immigration enforcement and highway safety.