A federal appeals court grilled the Department of Justice on Tuesday over its challenge of Virginia laws that the Trump administration says unconstitutionally impede on federal immigration enforcement operations, as similar efforts to limit cooperation with federal immigration officials in other states also face legal battles.
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit heard arguments in a lawsuit brought by the DOJ against Virginia officials over state laws barring federal law enforcement from wearing face coverings and blocking local police departments in the commonwealth from entering cooperation agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DOJ lawyer Megan Owen faced intense scrutiny from the panel over her arguments against the state law.
