BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – Governor Patrick Morrisey hosted a press conference Thursday providing updates about his administration’s progress in addressing illegal immigration in West Virginia.
During the meeting, Morrisey mentioned multiple steps his office is taking.
First, Morrisey says he signed an executive order for local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with ICE officials and other federal agencies.
He adds that his office has sent letters to local agencies to encourage them to follow both his and President Trump’s executive orders regarding immigration.
According to Morrisey, 72 illegal immigrants have been identified in the state, although 10 of them have been moved out of state as of Thursday.
Of the remaining 62, Morrisey said 13 are already serving sentences for crimes committed in West Virginia. Some of these were arrested due to violent crimes, including one murder sentence, Morrisey said.
Right now, the illegal immigrants are being held in a number of the state’s jails and prisons.
Morrisey said he believes illegal immigration in West Virginia goes hand-in-hand with the drug epidemic. He adds that a weakened border policy has allowed illegal immigrants and illicit drugs to cross the border and make their way up to West Virginia, which Morrisey says has a major impact on how many fentanyl-related overdoses we see in the Mountain State.
More announcements about West Virginia’s immigration policy are expected over the next few weeks.
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