Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will address state lawmakers Monday following her historic swearing-in ceremony over the weekend, where she became the Commonwealth's first female governor.
Shortly after it, she got right to work and signed ten executive orders.
"Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia we are making some changes," Spanberger said during her Inaugural Ball on Saturday night.
The executive orders cover a variety of topics, from directing cabinet secretaries to identify budget, policy or regulatory changes that would save people money, to working toward improving Virginia schools.
"These executive orders represent just the beginning," Spanberger said.
"We must address high housing costs healthcare childcare and energy costs," she said.
One order focuses on education improvements, requiring top officials to go on a listening tour around the commonwealth.
"We're going to work together we're going to focus on student success," Spanberger said.
However, the executive order drawing the most attention rescinds a Youngkin administration directive that required and encouraged state and local law enforcement agencies to work with ICE on enforcing immigration laws.
"State and local law enforcement should not be required to divert their limited resources to enforce federal, civil immigration laws that is a responsibility of federal law enforcement," Spanberger said.
Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued that order last February, saying "Virginia is not a sanctuary state."
According to ICE's website, 32 law enforcement agencies in Virginia have agreements with ICE, including 5 state agencies such as state police. No local departments from Hampton Roads have made such agreements.
During her inaugural speech Saturday, Spanberger appeared to reference ICE and the nationwide immigration crackdown.
"In Virginia, our hard working law abiding immigrant neighbors will know that when we say that we will focus on the security of all of our neighbors we mean them too," she said to applause.
The immigration order quickly drew condemnation from Republicans. Former Attorney General Jason Miyares posted on social media that "our streets have become less safe with a stroke of a pen."
Spanberger will outline her vision for the next four years Monday during an address to a joint session of the General Assembly.
Old Dominion University political science professor Dr. Jesse Richman said with President Trump in the White House and now a Democrat as Virginia's governor, the White House may turn its attention south.
"One of the things I think we're going to see increasingly we haven't seen that much conflict between the government of Virginia and the Trump administration because we've had a Republican governor and that's tamped it down I think we're going to see a lot more of that beginning," Richman said.
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