{"id":1382,"date":"2026-07-08T02:21:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=1382"},"modified":"2026-07-08T02:21:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T21:21:04","slug":"dhs-calls-out-governor-spanberger-over-fairfax-county-migrant-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=1382","title":{"rendered":"DHS calls out Governor Spanberger over Fairfax County migrant crimes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div data-layout-index=\"4\" class=\"featured featured-video video-ct\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"contain\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">  <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"info\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<div class=\"caption\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">\n<h4 class=\"title\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/video\/6393802899112\" data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_featured-video_5_1\" data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Fairfax County crime: Illegal immigrant murders, sex crimes spark policy debate<\/a><\/h4>\n<p data-v-7b1896ea=\"\">Fairfax County, Virginia officials face scrutiny as illegal immigrant crime, including child sexual offenses and murders, dramatically rises. A DHS report reveals an alleged 75% of all murders in Fairfax County are committed by illegal aliens, fueling intense debate over the county&#8217;s controversial sanctuary city policies and their impact on public safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"beyondwords-wrapper\" data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"beyondwords-wrapper\">\n<p><span class=\"label-bg\">NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">Following yet another illegal immigrant being charged with violent crimes in Fairfax County, Virginia, the Department of Homeland Security is once again appealing to Democratic Gov. <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613691\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/person\/abigail-spanberger\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Abigail Spanberger<\/a> not to allow the charged individual to be released.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"speakable\">In a Tuesday statement, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613692\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/politics\/executive\/homeland-security\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">DHS<\/a> ripped Spanberger on charges of being too soft on illegal immigrant crime, saying that &#8220;Under Governor Abigail Spanberger, Virginia has become a hotbed of illegal alien crime.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The latest involves Juan Arevalo Mendez, a 46-year-old twice-deported <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613693\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/immigration\/illegal-immigrants\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">illegal immigrant<\/a> from El Salvador who has been charged with rape and abduction in Fairfax County. Arevalo Mendez 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 last September, according to DHS.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The agency said that Arevalo Mendez originally entered the country legally in 1991, but his status was revoked after his first conviction for destruction of property in 1998. He was deported in 2003, illegally re-entered the U.S., was deported again in 2014, and illegally re-entered again at an unknown date and location. In addition to the illegal re-entries, Arevalo Mendez has a lengthy criminal history that includes multiple convictions for assault, including aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, as well as drug possession, obstructing justice, identity theft and larceny.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613694\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/ice-makes-nationwide-arrests-illegal-immigrants-murderers-pedophiles-holiday-blitz\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>ICE MAKES NATIONWIDE ARRESTS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, MURDERERS, PEDOPHILES IN HOLIDAY BLITZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/abigail-spanberger-fairfax-illegal.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/abigail-spanberger-fairfax-illegal.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/abigail-spanberger-fairfax-illegal.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/abigail-spanberger-fairfax-illegal.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/abigail-spanberger-fairfax-illegal.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Abigail Spanberger aside from Juan Arevalo Mendez\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger (left) is being criticized by the Department of Homeland Security as it lodges yet another detainer for Juan Arevalo Mendez (right), an illegal immigrant charged in a serious crime.<\/span> <span>(Mike Kropf\/Richmond Times-Dispatch via Getty Images; DHS)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The same day he was arrested, <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613695\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/immigration\/enforcement\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> lodged a detainer for Fairfax County officials to hold Arevalo Mendez.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis remarked that &#8220;DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613696\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/topic\/sanctuary-cities\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sanctuary politicians<\/a> 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Bis added that &#8220;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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Allyson Conroy, a spokesperson for the Fairfax County Sheriff\u2019s Office, told Fox News Digital that Arevalo Mendez &#8220;remains in the custody of the Sheriff\u2019s Office in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center (ADC).&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Conroy noted that &#8220;while it is still too early in the process to know the outcome of his case, ICE has been notified of Mendez\u2019s 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.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613697\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/watch-angel-mom-turns-tables-sanctuary-politicians-simple-question-priorities\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>WATCH: ANGEL MOM TURNS TABLES ON SANCTUARY POLITICIANS WITH BASIC QUESTION ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/343\/192\/steve-descano.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/686\/384\/steve-descano.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/672\/378\/steve-descano.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1344\/756\/steve-descano.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1200\/675\/steve-descano.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano speaking at an event.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Fairfax County Commonwealth&#8217;s Attorney Steve Descano is seen speaking at an event in Fairfax County, Virginia.<\/span> <span>(Sarah Voisin\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">She emphasized that &#8220;Fairfax County Sheriff\u2019s Office does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In its statement, DHS criticized Spanberger for signing an executive order terminating the state\u2019s 287(g) program partnering state and local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities, which it suggested is contributing to the crimes.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">According to the agency, Fairfax County has been especially hard hit by illegal immigrant crime in recent months. A suburb of <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613698\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/us\/washington-dc\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, Fairfax County is Virginia\u2019s largest county by population and has a Democratic prosecutor, Steve Descano, and a Democratic sheriff, Stacey Kincaid. Both have been criticized by local advocacy groups, Virginians for Safe Communities and Victims Rights Reform Council, for their sanctuary-style approach to enforcement.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">DHS detailed 17 alleged instances of serious crimes by illegal immigrants that took place in Virginia in 2026 alone. Nine out of those 17 cases took place in Fairfax County.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In addition to Arevalo Mendez, DHS said that in June ICE also lodged detainers with Fairfax County for Nicaraguan illegal immigrant Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, who was arrested for abduction of person with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and for Cristian Wilfredo Alvarenga Aguilar, an illegal alien charged with abduction, assault, carjacking and robbery.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In May, DHS said 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.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613699\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/sanctuary-county-refused-615-ice-transfer-requests-turned-over-11-illegal-immigrants-records-show\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>SANCTUARY COUNTY REFUSED 615 ICE TRANSFER REQUESTS, TURNED OVER JUST 11 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, RECORDS SHOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div data-layout-index=\"5\" class=\"image-ct inline\">\n<div class=\"m\"><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/343\/192\/fairfax-county-illegal-criminals.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/686\/384\/fairfax-county-illegal-criminals.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"192\" width=\"343\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/672\/378\/fairfax-county-illegal-criminals.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1, https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1344\/756\/fairfax-county-illegal-criminals.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1 2x\" height=\"378\" width=\"672\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1200\/675\/fairfax-county-illegal-criminals.png?ve=1&amp;tl=1\" alt=\"Fairfax County illegal immigrants accused of serious crimes\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<div class=\"info\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><span>Nine of the illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes in Fairfax County in 2026, left to right from top: Juan Arevalo Mendez, Moises Domingo Rico Rosales,\u202fCristian Wilfredo Alvarenga Aguilar, Walvin Victor Hugo Garcia, Roni Mendez-Escobar, Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz, Misael Lopez Gomez, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz, Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo.<\/span> <span>(DHS)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613700\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">The month before, ICE arrested Guatemalan illegal immigrant Roni Mendez-Escobar after he was released while charged with possession of child pornography with intent to distribute. That same month, ICE lodged detainers for Salvadoran illegal alien <a data-omtr-intcmp=\"fnc_politics_article_main-content_article-body_6_1613701\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/illegal-immigrant-israel-flores-ortiz-gets-360-days-groping-girls-fairfax-county-va-high-school\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz<\/a>, who was convicted of nine counts of assault and battery for groping underage girls at a Fairfax County high school; Guatemalan illegal alien Misael Lopez Gomez, who was charged with murder and felony child abuse after allegedly bludgeoning his 3-month-old daughter to death; and two illegal alien murderers, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, who were convicted of stabbing a man to death and given plea deals of five years in prison each.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\"><a href=\"https:\/\/foxnews.onelink.me\/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&amp;af_dp=foxnewsaf%3A%2F%2F&amp;af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fapps-products\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">In March, ICE also lodged a detainer for Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, an illegal alien from Guatemala, who was charged withsecond degree murderafter allegedly fatally stabbing a man inside his home in Bailey\u2019s Crossroads.<\/p>\n<p data-layout-index=\"5\">Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger\u2019s office and Descano\u2019s office for comment.<\/p>\n<p> <!----> <!----> <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p>Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fairfax County crime: Illegal immigrant murders, sex crimes spark policy debate Fairfax County, Virginia officials face scrutiny as illegal immigrant crime, including child sexual offenses and murders, dramatically rises. A DHS report reveals an alleged 75% of all murders in Fairfax County are committed by illegal aliens, fueling intense debate over the county&#8217;s controversial sanctuary&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/abigail-spanberger-fairfax-illegal.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}