Gordonville Police were involved in several Greene County Sheriff’s Office task force operations with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between the months of June and August — including a major operation where 49 individuals were arrested, leaving dozens of vehicles scattered along the highway in Ruckersville — according to documents obtained by Charlottesville Tomorrow through a Freedom of Information Act request.
The documents also provide evidence that Police Chief Chris Votaw likely participated in the June 23 traffic enforcement operation that has prompted an investigation by state Attorney General Jay Jones. And despite ongoing calls for transparency from residents, Votaw will not answer whether he or his officers took part in that operation.
Central Virginia residents have also raised concerns of racial profiling during that operation and have questioned how officers decided which vehicles to stop, according to reporting from Charlottesville Tomorrow, C-VILLE Weekly and others. Jones’ office said they were conducting the inquiry into allegations of violations of state law and the Constitution.
Timesheets included in the records request list nearly 50 total hours spent by Gordonsville officers on ICE assignments with the Greene County Sheriff’s Office through Sept. 17, including an assignment noted as “Operation with Greene County SO” on Aug. 3. (The records request was sent on Sept. 17 and ended at the date of the request, so any task force operations since then are not included.)
Votaw signed a 287(g) agreement on May 15, which deputizes Gordonsville officers to conduct immigration enforcement activities on behalf of ICE. Under the “task force model” that Gordonsville signed onto, those activities can encompass anything from routine traffic stops to raids.
In exchange, the department received an initial $100,000 for “transportation” after completing its first apprehension, plus $7,500 for equipment per participating officer per quarter. The department is also eligible for an additional $7,500 per officer per quarter for information technology-related expenses.
According to the documents obtained by Charlottesville Tomorrow, two Gordonsville officers spent a combined total of 35 hours on task force operations in June, including the Page County operation that took place on June 12, stretching into the early morning hours of June 13.
The Page County raid was the only previously confirmed instance of Gordonsville Police participating in an operation in another county. They were joined by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office on that occasion as well. According to news outlets WHSV and WMRA, arrests made that evening included a woman on her way home from church, and half the employees of a Luray dairy farm.
Two Gordonsville officers also spent a combined 17 hours working an unspecified task force operation on June 23. According to the timesheets, the officers were on assignment between the hours of 3 a.m. and 3 p.m.
That’s roughly the same timeframe when Greene County Sheriff’s Office and ICE arrested 49 individuals in the major traffic operation. No other high-profile ICE operations were reported in Virginia that day.
Although their names are redacted, ICE payroll documents list the salaries of both Gordonsville officers certified under the 287(g) program. Credentialed Officer 1, or “Cred 1,” has a salary or $93,784. That’s significantly higher than any police officer salary under Gordonsville’s current pay scale, but it is the exact salary for Votaw, who also serves as Deputy Town Manager. His salary was also confirmed by the town clerk.
Timesheets show that both “Cred 1” and a second officer were on assignment for the task force operation on June 23.
Charlottesville Tomorrow reached out to Votaw to confirm whether Gordonsville police, and specifically the chief himself, had taken part in the June 23 immigration operation in Greene County. Votaw did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
During a previous interview on Sept. 17, Votaw declined to answer whether his department had taken part in immigration operations in Greene County.
Concerns about a lack of transparency around Gordonsville’s 287(g) agreement have grown since August, when the local email newsletter Byrd Street broke the news that Gordonsville police had been cooperating with ICE for three months without notifying the public.
Charlottesville Tomorrow’s investigation found further failures in transparency: discussion of the agreement between Votaw and Town Council took place in closed session, and when a pause on active participation in the 287(g) program was lifted, even Town Council didn’t find out until weeks later.
According to the documents obtained by Charlottesville Tomorrow, Votaw also asked for a legal contact in relation to a request for documents by Attorney General Jones.
“Was wondering if you have a contact number or email for legal,” Votaw wrote to a redacted individual from ICE’s Washington Field Office in an email on Aug. 4. “Just got a request letter from Attorney General wanting the executed agreement for our 287(g) program. They are claiming it was ordered by the Judge Payne in relation to the ongoing litigation between DOJ and VA. I am slightly thrown off by this because why would the federal judge order Virginia AG to provide documentation that would clearly be in the possession of the federal government ‘DOJ’. Just want to double check before releasing.”
Charlottesville Tomorrow contacted both Votaw and Rae Pickett, Director of Communications for Jones, to ask whether Gordonsville is part of any investigation related to its 287(g) agreement, but neither responded before publication.
Following a community meeting earlier this month, where residents spoke unanimously against the agreement with ICE, Town Council said they would vote at their Oct. 19 meeting on whether to continue the agreement. Council also opened a community survey ahead of the meeting for Gordonsville residents to share their thoughts.
Take action
Should Gordonsville end its ICE agreement? Attend a meeting to let Town Council know
Gordonsville Town Council’s next meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, will include discussion and a vote on termination of the town’s 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at Gordonsville Town Hall, 112 S. Main St. Community members who wish to speak during public comment can sign up in person directly before the meeting.
The town is also conducting a community survey to gather resident feedback and inform the Town Council’s decision on termination of the agreement. The survey closes tomorrow, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. Complete the survey here.
Charlottesville Tomorrow reached out to members of Gordonsville Town Council, who will vote on potentially terminating the town’s 287(g) agreement. Only Councilmember Nick Paxton responded.
In an email, Paxton wrote that he was not previously aware of Gordonsville’s involvement in Greene County immigration operations, but “Council isn’t routinely made aware of most specific operational actions (other than targeted traffic violation enforcement) or things that would fall under personnel actions.”
“That being said, I think Council will continue to discuss how to reasonably be kept in the loop on future occurrences,” he added.
Asked how, if at all, the discovery that Gordonsville had coordinated with Greene County Sheriff’s Office would factor into his thought process as he approaches the upcoming vote, Paxton wrote the following:
“Most, if not all, of what you have asked deals with occurrences/actions/correspondence from prior to our 10/5 community meeting. My request for the item to be added to the agenda was largely based on the voices we heard during that meeting. As Chief stated multiple times during the 10/5 meeting, he is continuing to learn and improve through this situation. I trust that he is doing just that, and that he will keep Town Council updated with any new knowledge he receives. As was briefly discussed in the community meeting, Council will likely review how/what the Town Police Chief reports to Council.”
In two separate interviews in September, Mayor Ron Brooks condemned immigration enforcement operations by Greene County Sheriff’s Office.
On Sept. 4, Brooks said that Council and Chief Votaw were in agreement that they were against doing “any targeted enforcement like Greene did.”
“And so the agreement was with them that the expectation was that we weren’t going to be doing big things like that because in my opinion, they’re illegal. You shouldn’t be able to do that,” he added.
During a phone call on Sept. 25, Brooks said that the Greene County Sheriff’s Office’s actions amounted to racial profiling.
“I don’t mind going on the record to say I think that Greene County, to be completely honest with you, what they did, especially in the Ruckersville areas, I think they targeted people based on race. And we’re not gonna do that.”
Charlottesville Tomorrow made several attempts to reach Brooks for comment on his own police department’s participation in Greene County Sheriff’s Office immigration operations, but did not receive a response.
During the Oct. 5 community meeting, Votaw also announced a new restriction on the department’s participation in the 287(g) program: Gordonsville officers are no longer permitted to participate in immigration enforcement operations outside of the town of Gordonsville.
However, Votaw did not elaborate on how this order was executed or how it would be enforced, since the terms of Gordonsville’s Memorandum of Agreement with ICE still include participation in task force operations. Residents at the meeting expressed skepticism, with some asking to get the restriction in writing.
Charlottesville Tomorrow reached out to Votaw for clarification but did not receive a response.
