SouthernWorldwide.com – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a strong statement criticizing Governor Abigail Spanberger’s administration in Virginia, labeling the state a “hotbed” for crimes committed by illegal immigrants following a recent rape charge against an individual with a history of deportation.
This latest incident involves Juan Arevalo Mendez, a 46-year-old Salvadoran national who had been deported twice previously. He is now facing charges of rape and abduction in Fairfax County, Virginia. Mendez was apprehended last week in Prince William County for an alleged attack that occurred in Fairfax County in September.
According to DHS, Mendez first entered the U.S. legally in 1991 but lost his legal status after a property destruction conviction in 1998. He was deported in 2003, re-entered the country illegally, was deported again in 2014, and subsequently re-entered without authorization at an unspecified time and location.
Mendez’s criminal record is extensive, including multiple convictions for assault, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, drug possession, obstructing justice, identity theft, and larceny. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on Mendez following his arrest, requesting that Fairfax County officials hold him.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis of DHS expressed concern, stating, “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 further urged Virginia’s sanctuary politicians to collaborate with ICE law enforcement, emphasizing, “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.”
While the legal proceedings against Mendez are ongoing, ICE has been informed of his location at the Adult Detention Center (ADC) and can take him into custody if he is ordered released by the court. The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office has stated that it does not impede ICE’s ability to act on their detainers.
DHS also pointed to Governor Spanberger’s executive order that terminated the state’s 287(g) program, which facilitated partnerships between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, suggesting this action has contributed to the rise in such crimes.
Fairfax County, a populous suburb of Washington, D.C., and Virginia’s largest county, has been particularly affected by crimes attributed to illegal immigrants. The county has a Democratic prosecutor, Steve Descano, and a Democratic sheriff, Stacey Kincaid, both of whom have faced criticism from local groups like Virginians for Safe Communities and the Victims Rights Reform Council for their sanctuary-style enforcement policies.
DHS provided a list of 17 alleged serious crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Virginia in 2026, with nine of these incidents occurring in Fairfax County. Notable cases include:
- Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, a Nicaraguan illegal immigrant arrested for abduction and indecent exposure, for whom ICE lodged a detainer in June.
- Cristian Wilfredo Alvarenga Aguilar, an illegal alien charged with abduction, assault, carjacking, and robbery, also subject to an ICE detainer in June.
- Walvin Victor Hugo Garcia, an illegal immigrant arrested by ICE in May after being released by Fairfax County despite facing charges of raping a child under 13.
- Roni Mendez-Escobar, a Guatemalan illegal immigrant arrested by ICE in April after his release while charged with possession of child pornography with intent to distribute.
- Israel Christopher Flores-Ortiz, a Salvadoran illegal alien convicted of nine counts of assault and battery for groping underage girls at a Fairfax County high school.
- Misael Lopez Gomez, a Guatemalan illegal alien charged with murder and felony child abuse for allegedly killing his 3-month-old daughter.
- Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, two illegal alien murderers convicted of stabbing a man to death and receiving five-year prison sentences.
- Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, an illegal alien from Guatemala charged with second-degree murder for allegedly fatally stabbing a man in March.
