Virginia Sheriffs Shield Illegal Alien Criminals from ICE—Democrats Silent
Abigail Spanberger won't comment on sheriffs protecting illegal aliens, including murderers.
Restoration News recently exposed the Fairfax County Sheriff releasing violent illegal alien criminals to the streets rather than turning them over to ICE. Since then, we’ve investigated whether other cities cooperate with federal immigration officers and discovered another sanctuary city harboring illegal alien criminals, including murderers.
We reached out to the democratic candidate for governor, Abigail Spanberger, and asked if she would take any action against sanctuary cities who harbor illegal alien criminals. She didn’t respond to our inquiry.
(READ MORE: POLL: 2 in 3 Voters Oppose Sanctuary Cities, Back Trump Deportations in Virginia AG Race)
Spanberger Attacks ICE, Stays Silent on Illegal Aliens
In a recent video, Spanberger claims that ICE isn’t going after criminals and asserts they are “going after family members.” This shameful rhetoric endangers law enforcement officers serving to protect Americans around the state and nation.
Governor Youngkin’s press secretary, Peter Finocchio, told Restoration News:
Thanks to federal and state law enforcement working together through the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force, more than 2,800 arrests have been made of illegal immigrant criminals since February 25th. It’s been disappointing to see some localities, including Fairfax County, obstruct these efforts, failing to put the safety of their residents first. As the Governor has stressed again and again, localities need to stop playing politics and work with state and federal law enforcement to protect their communities.
Governor Youngkin tried to withhold funds to sanctuary cities in this year’s budget—but Democrats blocked his efforts.
Sheriff Harboring an Illegal Alien Charged with Murderer
Restoration News filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests with multiple sheriffs across Virginia asking for a list of inmates with ICE detainers since February 2025. Some agencies were transparent and cooperative, but others were not as compliant.
It took Restoration News weeks and multiple messages to get the Richmond sheriff, Antionette Irving, to respond to the FOIA request despite a legal requirement of a 5-day response. This comes as no surprise—Irving admitted in a recent interview that she won’t honor ICE detainers. Since February, Richmond has not turned over any detainees to ICE, but jail records show at least four aliens currently in the facility—including one charged with murder.
On October 21, 2024, Darwan Fernandez-Juarez was charged with firearm possessed or transported by alien. He was also charged with first degree murder.
19-year-old Enri Paz Morales was charged on April 5, 2025, with firearm possessed or transported by alien and being a convicted felon possessing a firearm.
On May 5th, Jorge Enamorado-Cruz was arrested for two counts of firearm possessed or transported by alien.
Jose Baca Gutierrez was arrested on the same charges on June 1st.
Recently, the Newport News Sherrif, Gabe Morgan, defiantly said he doesn’t cooperate with ICE. Morgan wants to protect the illegal alien criminals in his jail from ICE deportation and won’t turn them over unless ICE has a judicial warrant—just like Fairfax.
The Arlington County Sheriff’s office did not produce the documents we requested until after the timeline required under FOIA laws, but they finally provided the information. They only released 2 inmates to ICE since February.
In May, the Arlington Board of Supervisors voted to prohibit law enforcement from notifying ICE about non-citizen arrests—even for violent felonies or gang participation. Board members claimed they were concerned that citizens wouldn’t call police during an emergency for fear of being deported—favoring illegal aliens over the safety of citizens.
Fortunately, many other Virginia counties and cities are cooperating with ICE to protect their citizens from these violent criminals.
Transparent Cities and Counties Cooperating with ICE
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has encouraged local sheriffs to cooperate with ICE. He told sheriffs that their most important role is the “safety of your constituents and your citizens.” In a recent Restoration of America poll of over 25,000 voters state-wide, 68 percent of respondents indicated support for Miyares’ plan to enforce immigration laws.
Restoration News spoke to the sheriff of Virginia’s largest city, Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb. He said, “We fully cooperate with ICE. If ICE issues a detainer on an inmate, we release them to ICE. We have released over 60 inmates to ICE since February.”
The Rappahannock Regional Jail in Stafford sent us a list of 261 names of criminals turned over to ICE since February.
The Chesapeake Sheriff’s office provided a list of 40 inmates released to ICE in the same time period. At least 16 of these men were charged with driving under the influence (DUI), some their 2nd offense.
Chesapeake knows first-hand the danger these illegal alien drunk drivers can cause. In February 2024, Elvis Cruz-Ferrera killed 19-year-old college student Lauryn Ni’Kole Leonard in a horrific car crash. He smashed into her vehicle on the interstate, causing it to overturn. He was in the country illegally and was previously ordered deported, but apparently deportation didn’t happen because he was left here to kill an innocent young lady.
Under the Trump administration, with the cooperation of local Sheriffs, these illegal aliens creating havoc in America are finally being deported. Sanctuary counties like Fairfax, Richmond, and Newport News still protect illegal aliens over U.S. citizens. Voters must remember these examples at the ballot box in November.
(READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Fairfax County Released over 200 Illegal Alien Criminals Since Feb—Including Alleged Child Rapist)
