York-Poquoson Sheriff J.D. “Danny” Diggs will travel to Washington next week to press Congress to pass pending legislation to strengthen border security.
On Wednesday, Diggs will join 44 other elected law-enforcement officials from across the country for a meeting with White House officials on “illegal immigration matters,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“This group of sheriffs will share their experiences and public safety challenges” associated with undocumented immigrants, the release said.
“The purpose of this visit is to express the urgency of Congress passing legislation immediately on the security aspects of immigration reform,” Diggs said in a prepared statement in the news release. “It is our intention to tell Congress that their failure to deal with this issue for 20 years has made our communities less safe and has undermined our promise to the people who elected us to keep them safe.”
The first part, a media event, will be held at 10 a.m. at the U.S. Capitol. Some members of Congress will join the group of sheriffs.
In the afternoon, Diggs will join the others at the White House for a roundtable discussion hosted by the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. The discussion will cover topics such as immigration, border security and “efforts by some local officials to prevent the collaboration of local, county, state and federal law enforcement.”
In the release, Diggs said he will discuss the challenges of the “ongoing Congressional stalemate” regarding immigration.
“We will also take the opportunity to express and thank President Trump and his administration for re-establishing law enforcement’s footing to enforce our laws,” Diggs said.
