The Department of Homeland Security has sharply criticized Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger and local officials in Fairfax County, accusing them of fostering a «hotbed» of illegal immigrant crime following the arrest of a twice-deported Salvadoran man on charges of rape and abduction. In a statement released Tuesday, DHS called on Spanberger and other «sanctuary politicians» to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and ensure that the suspect, identified as Juan Arevalo Mendez, is not released from local custody.
Arevalo Mendez, 46, was arrested last week in Prince William County on charges of rape and abduction with intent to sexually assault, stemming from an alleged attack in Fairfax County in September 2025, according to DHS. The agency said he originally entered the United States legally in 1991, but his status was revoked after a 1998 conviction for destruction of property. He was deported in 2003, illegally re-entered the country, was deported again in 2014, and re-entered illegally at an unknown date and location. His criminal record includes multiple convictions for assault, including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, as well as drug possession, obstructing justice, identity theft, and larceny.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that «DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Fairfax County to commit to not releasing this dangerous criminal from jail, and to instead turn him over to ICE custody so that we can remove him from our nation and end his crime spree in our country.» Bis added that «Virginia sanctuary politicians need to stop playing Russian roulette with American lives and work with ICE law enforcement to keep criminals out of our communities.»
On the day of Arevalo Mendez’s arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer requesting that Fairfax County officials hold him for federal transfer. Allyson Conroy, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox News Digital that Arevalo Mendez «remains in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC).» She noted that «while it is still too early in the process to know the outcome of his case, ICE has been notified of Mendez’s location at the ADC, and they are able to execute their detainer by responding to the ADC and taking Mendez into custody if and when he is ordered released.» Conroy emphasized that «Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers.»
DHS’s criticism of Spanberger centers on her decision to sign an executive order terminating Virginia’s participation in the 287(g) program, which allowed state and local law enforcement to partner with federal immigration authorities. The agency argued that this policy shift has contributed to a rise in crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the state. Fairfax County, a suburb of Washington, D.C., and Virginia’s most populous county, has been particularly affected, according to DHS. The county has a Democratic prosecutor, Steve Descano, and a Democratic sheriff, Stacey Kincaid, both of whom have faced criticism from local advocacy groups, including Virginians for Safe Communities and Victims Rights Reform Council, for adopting a sanctuary-style approach to enforcement.
DHS detailed 17 alleged instances of serious crimes by illegal immigrants that took place in Virginia in 2026 alone, with nine of those cases occurring in Fairfax County. In addition to Arevalo Mendez, the agency said that in June, ICE lodged detainers for Nicaraguan illegal immigrant Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, arrested for abduction with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and for Cristian Wilfredo Alvarenga Aguilar, charged with abduction, assault, carjacking, and robbery. In May, DHS reported that ICE arrested Walvin Victor Hugo Garcia after he was released by Fairfax County despite facing charges of raping a child under the age of 13. The previous month, ICE arrested Guatemalan illegal immigrant Roni Mendez-Escobar after he was released while charged with possession of child pornography with intent to distribute.
Also in April, ICE lodged detainers for Salvadoran illegal alien Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz, convicted of nine counts of assault and battery for groping underage girls at a Fairfax County high school; Guatemalan illegal alien Misael Lopez Gomez, charged with murder and felony child abuse after allegedly bludgeoning his 3-month-old daughter to death; and two illegal immigrant murderers, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, who were convicted of stabbing a man to death and received plea deals of five years in prison each. In March, ICE lodged a detainer for Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, an illegal alien from Guatemala, charged with second-degree murder after allegedly fatally stabbing a man inside his home in Bailey’s Crossroads.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger’s office and Descano’s office for comment, but no responses were included in the initial report. The case has reignited debate over sanctuary policies in Virginia, with federal officials pressing for stricter cooperation between local jurisdictions and immigration enforcement agencies.
