Nexus Services Condemns Northam’s “Stay At Home” Order, Saying it Will Disproportionately Subject Minority Virginians and Immigrants to Police Scrutiny

As Virginians are ordered to “Stay At Home,” Virginia’s Governor employs dramatic and likely unconstitutional power to restrict people’s liberty without communicating to disenfranchised communities.

VERONA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nexus Services Inc. condemns Governor Ralph Northam’s failure to provide a translated version of his executive order on Monday to Spanish-speaking Virginians. Virginia is a diverse state, with approximately 7.5% of Virginia households speaking Spanish. The order applies to all residents of the Commonwealth, and all violators of the order are subject to prosecution, regardless of their native language or ability to understand the mandate. The governor systematically restricted access from thousands of Virginians to a law that effectively seeks to criminally punish people for not listening to him. How could the state expect its Spanish-speaking residents to follow these arbitrary orders if it doesn’t bother to provide this direction in the language of almost one-tenth of Virginians?

“Governor Northam swore to defend the Constitution, which seeks to protect all Virginians from tyranny,” Mike Donovan, Nexus Services Inc. president and CEO, said. “By ordering incredible restrictions on First and Fourth Amendment rights, he has flirted with tyranny. By criminalizing normal American behavior and not even providing the order in Spanish, the governor has become a tyrant. Nexus Services will assist Virginians who have had their civil rights violated in this time of global crisis. We can’t forget the promise of America, in spite of our fears.”

Donovan further criticized the governor’s executive order as patently unconstitutional: “I do believe everyone who does not need to be out in public should stay at home to keep themselves, their communities and their families safe, but I have serious reservations about the deprivation of liberty associated with Executive Order 55.”

Nexus Services Inc. urges all citizens to stay safe and to report any possible violations of their constitutional rights to its 24-hour hotline, 1-800-647-1823. Nexus Services Inc. funds Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys Inc., a civil rights law firm that protects and defends the rights of all people against government abuse.

Nexus Services, Inc. has translated the Executive Order for Spanish Speaking Virginias the order both in English and Spanish can be found at:

https://www.scribd.com/document/454397433/English-and-Spanish-EO-55

Nexus Services Inc. is a leading provider of immigrant bond securitization and of services provided to detained individuals. The organization funds Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys Inc. as a part of its corporate giving to increase access to justice for disadvantaged people across the United States. http://www.nexushelps.com/