U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assailed Fairfax County for protecting an illegal immigrant who was arrested 10 times and charged with 19 crimes but whom local officials refused to cooperate in turning over to deportation officers.
Jorge Armado Melendez-Gonzalez had arrests for malicious shooting and unlawful wounding, among other charges.
Twice, once in 2023 and again this summer, ICE issued deportation “detainer” requests asking Fairfax County to cooperate in handing over Mr. Melendez-Gonzalez when the county released him. In both instances, the county refused the detainer, ICE said.
Deportation officers arrested him late last week.
“Fairfax County refused to honor two ICE arrest detainers and chose to release this criminal back onto Virginia’s streets,” said Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “These sanctuary policies make Virginians less safe.”
ICE said Mr. Melendez-Gonzalez, from El Salvador, was first arrested by federal agents after entering the U.S. on June 22, 2015. An immigration judge ordered him deported in October 2016.
Fairfax County has been a particular target for ICE’s rhetorical fire in recent years. The agency portrays the county as habitually refusing to cooperate on detainer requests.
The Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that supports stricter immigration enforcement, said Fairfax County’s jail ranked third in the nation in declined detainer requests. During a 2½-year period, the county refused cooperation on more than 1,150 detainers, according to data CIS compiled from Department of Homeland Security data.
Sanctuary jurisdictions generally limit their cooperation with immigration authorities, arguing that working with agencies such as ICE could sour local officers’ relationships with immigrant communities.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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