Miyares Weekly Roundup

AG Miyares Leads Multistate Letter Condemning Leaked Anti-Catholic FBI Memo  "Virginia is the birthplace of religious freedom and has a long history of protecting the inalienable right to live your faith free from government interference or intimidation. The leaked memo from our state capital's FBI office is unacceptable, unconstitutional, and un-American. Frankly, it's what I would expect from Communist Cuba. As Attorney General, I'm responsible for defending Virginians' rights, and religious freedom is the bedrock of the Constitutions of the United States and of Virginia. Virginians should not and will not be labeled 'violent extremists' by their government because of how they worship, or because of their beliefs."    – Attorney General Miyares  READ MORE ABOUT THIS BREAKING NEWS

AG Miyares held a town hall meeting in Alexandria on Monday with the Asian American community in an effort to connect and listen to concerns about discrimination in education.

Thank you to everyone who came out and contributed to this meaningful discussion! AG Miyares was proud to lead a coalition of 21 states in sending a letter calling on President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) under federal law.  "The Mexican drug cartels are trafficking fentanyl into our country every day, killing thousands of Virginians and endangering every single community in our Commonwealth. The threat these drug cartels pose is real and imminent – which is why this country must escalate its response. It's time we stop ignoring them. Law enforcement agencies need every tool available to fight against this public health and national security crisis, and designating these cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations would be an important first step in confronting the gravity of this dangerous crisis."    –Attorney General Miyares    Designating major cartels as FTOs will give state and federal law enforcement agencies increased authority to: Freeze cartel assets, Deny entry to cartel members,  Allow prosecutors to pursue stricter punishments against those who provide them material support.  LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE READ THE LETTER TO BIDEN & BLINKEN

While speaking to a group of Jewish leaders on Virginia Jewish Advocacy Day, AG Miyares announced the creation of a task force to combat antisemitism, as rates of antisemitic hate continue to rise in both the Commonwealth and across the country.    The first of its kind in the United States, the Task Force's mission is rooted in 4 interrelated strategies: monitoring, information-gathering, educating, and investigating instances of Antisemitism in Virginia.    The Antisemitism Task Force is in response to the recommendation of the Governor's Commission to Combat Antisemitism report issued in December.    "Antisemitism is the oldest and most sustained form of bigotry known to mankind. Although America's commitment to religious diversity and pluralism has made it a relatively safe haven for Jewish people, American Jews have dealt with horrifying antisemitic discrimination and violence, and it continues today. My Antisemitism Task Force will help our office monitor, combat, and educate Virginians about hate against Jewish people."    – Attorney General Miyares    Virginians should report any instances of antisemitic discrimination to Attorney General Miyares' Office of Civil Rights.  LEARN HOW TO FILE A REPORT On Tuesday, AG Miyares joined a 24-state coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to Yelp opposing the company's discriminatory practices against crisis pregnancy centers. Last year, Yelp began issuing consumer notices to the Yelp profiles of such centers, claiming that crisis pregnancy centers "typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite."    Those consumer notices were applied to all crisis pregnancy centers but not to Planned Parenthood and other similar facilities – that is discriminatory.    On Thursday, Yelp responded to the letter and agreed to back down and stop making false claims that pregnancy centers are not medical clinics.    This is a huge win.   The new language will state: "This is a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Crisis Pregnancy Centers do not offer abortions or referrals to abortion providers."    AG Miyares enjoyed having a productive discussion with the Youth For Tomorrow team about the work they are doing with foster care, survivors of human trafficking, and behavioral health services.  Thanks to the silent heroes at Youth For Tomorrow for your compassionate service to Virginia's youth.

Virginia Peninsula Chamber's IMPACT Leadership Series

AG Miyares was honored to speak at the Virginia Peninsula Chamber's first IMPACT Leadership Series event in Newport News on Thursday morning. On Thursday, AG Miyares announced that he is joining 23 other states in filing a lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), its director, and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for – once again – overreaching their authority and infringing on Virginia's constitutional rights.     "The federal government has a track record of circumventing the legislative process to promote their radical agenda. Instead of creating laws, the Biden Administration prefers to declare mandates through their unelected bureaucratic bodies, infringing on our constitutional rights.   Pistol braces increase accuracy, stability, and make the firearm less concealable. The ATF had no problem with them for over a decade. And millions of law-abiding Americans purchased these braces in reliance on the ATF's approval of them. Virginians shouldn't be subject to additional regulations and potential criminal charges because the federal government has changed its mind about pistol braces, but doesn't want to go to Congress."    – Attorney General Miyares  READ THE COMPLAINT Virginia Maritime Association

AG Miyares spoke to the Virginia Maritime Association on Thursday about how his office can help facilitate and enhance the valuable flow of imports and exports through Virginia.    Thank you for all the VA Maritime Association does to strengthen our workforce and economy!  Be sure to check out the above article on AG Miyares' Protecting Americans Action Fund, a political organization aiming to correct an imbalance that has existed in prosecutor campaigns for several years.  Thank You, Langley Air Force Base! Until next time, Team Miyares