Richmond limits access for ICE agents

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Richmond officials are limiting what access federal immigration enforcement agents have in the city.

The Richmond Police Department said it will no longer share data captured from the license plate reader cameras it operates with any localities that are working with ICE.

Already, RPD said it doesn’t share Flock data with federal agencies, including immigration enforcement.

“Them telling us they’re not going to provide that kind of data...We’ll see what that actually looks like,” said Danielle DiBlasio with Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality.

Activist groups, including Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice, and Equality, have long fought to kick ICE out of Richmond.

The group said they would rather see the city remove Flock cameras entirely.

It’s a stance people in the community have long advocated for, gaining traction more recently through action from the Richmond chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, who have said the cameras raise privacy and abuse concerns.

“The federal government cannot ever be constrained by Virginia state or city guardrails. Even at the state level, the legislation provides zero meaningful restrictions on the ability of other states, private parties, and the federal government to access Virginia ALPR data through subpoenas or search warrants,” DSA said in a statement. “This means that ICE will always have a back door to this data.”

A Richmond Police Department audit found there was one violation last quarter related to the Flock data, when a sergeant gave the FBI information from a camera for a Washington, D.C., homicide investigation.

Last summer, federal agencies also used Richmond’s Flock cameras to assist in immigration-related cases.

Chief Edwards later said he wasn’t aware that they were doing that and that it would not happen again.

Not everyone in Richmond is against the Flock cameras.

“They have helped,” said Charles Willis, head of United Communities Against Crime.

Willis echoes the same message Richmond police Chief Rick Edwards and Mayor Avula have stood by: the cameras play a crucial role in solving crime.

Willis pointed to a recent example involving a hit-and-run.

“The Flock cameras zoomed in on that individual but they saw also where that individual went. So now the police department don’t have to go question everyone in the Mosby Court area,” said Willis.

The Flock rule is one of a number of ICE-related safeguards Mayor Avula and the police department said they are taking to build community trust.

Others include updating officers’ uniforms to read “Richmond Police” so everyone knows they are not ICE agents, and prohibiting ICE from conducting operations on city property. That includes buildings, parking lots, and public facilities.

“I believe it’s an excellent idea Mayor Danny Avula has spoken out because the safety of your community is always best,” Willis said.

Still, some said they want to see more aggressive steps from the city to protect and support the immigrant community.

“We’re not seeing the big massive raids that happened in Minneapolis and LA, but they’re happening, and we don’t want them to happen at all,” DiBlasio said.

It remains to be seen how these steps will be enforced.

Neither the Mayor’s office nor the Richmond Police Department was available for interviews on Tuesday.