Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged arrest detainers for criminal illegal aliens who were charged in connection with a shooting on a Virginia highway. The DHS announcement highlights enforcement action taken against individuals with criminal records involved in the violent incident.

Ricardo Leonel Mejia, a 35-year-old Salvadoran national, was sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of child rape and related offenses in Virginia Beach. The assault occurred in 2024 while Mejia was working as a contractor at a family's home, and was discovered when the victim's mother found him in her daughter's room. Mejia will serve his sentence at the Virginia Department of Corrections before being transferred to ICE custody.

U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia announced updates on a series of immigration enforcement cases involving individuals who illegally reentered the United States after prior deportations and went on to commit additional crimes including drug offenses, sexual battery, assault, child neglect, and DUI. Several defendants were found by immigration authorities after being arrested for committing new crimes following their unlawful return. The announcement noted that prosecution of criminal immigration offenses is a priority under executive orders signed on January 20 by the President.

Multiple Virginia sheriffs have refused to cooperate with ICE detainers, releasing illegal aliens with criminal records back onto the streets rather than turning them over to federal immigration authorities. Among the policies enabling this is a "Trust Policy" adopted by Fairfax County that requires an administrative warrant before local law enforcement may cooperate with ICE. Virginia Democrats have remained largely silent on the criminal records of those being shielded, even as federal authorities push back on the sanctuary practices.

Cesar Bermudez Evans, a 21-year-old Nicaraguan national, was charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm in a felony after allegedly shooting a 20-year-old man multiple times outside a Virginia Beach nightclub. Court documents indicate Evans was part of an inadmissible alien proceeding and had stated he arrived in the U.S. from Nicaragua and was going through the asylum process. Following his arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement promptly issued a detainer for Evans.

A FOIA request by Restoration News reveals that Fairfax County released 205 illegal alien criminals onto the streets since February 2025, with only 7 turned over to ICE. Among those released were violent criminals including an accused child rapist, child sexual predators, fugitives from justice, and over a dozen charged with malicious wounding or strangulation. Fairfax Sheriff Stacey Kincaid's office redacted the names of released individuals in FOIA documents, even though other Virginia sheriffs provide this information upon request.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted weekend enforcement operations targeting dangerous individuals, including a man who allegedly threatened to bomb a U.S. Representative's office. The DHS announcement highlights the arrests as part of an ongoing effort to apprehend high-priority criminal illegal aliens.

A 37-year-old Norfolk man died after being struck head-on by a wrong-way driver on London Bridge Road in Virginia Beach in the early morning hours. The driver, Erwin Marroquin-Herrera, 26, was charged with manslaughter, DUI, and two counts of possession of fictitious identification after admitting to drinking before the crash. During a bond hearing it was revealed Marroquin-Herrera was an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who had previously been deported from the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out weekend enforcement actions targeting criminal illegal aliens with serious convictions, including sexual assault, robbery, manslaughter, and human trafficking. The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrests as part of its continued focus on removing the most dangerous individuals from U.S. communities.