House Judiciary Report Says Fairfax County Ignored 1,670 ICE Detainers, Accuses Prosecutor Descano of Shielding Criminal Aliens

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The Fairfax County Sheriff's Office in Virginia declined at least 1,670 detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2023 through 2025, according to a report House Republicans released Tuesday.

The interim staff report, titled "Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies," was issued by the House Judiciary Committee under Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and its Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, chaired by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif. Fox News first reported its contents before the noon release.

What the Report Alleges

The report says that instead of transferring people wanted by ICE to federal custody, the county released them back into northern Virginia communities.

It also targets Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, a Democrat. The committee alleges that his office's "routine failure to prosecute" has "de facto decriminalized" a range of offenses for criminal aliens, including driving under the influence, felony drug possession, grand larceny, shoplifting, fraud, trespassing and assaulting a law enforcement officer.

According to the committee, a preliminary review of more than 1,100 criminal cases found more than 100 previously unreported illegal immigrants who benefited from Descano's decisions, and most of the defendants reviewed went on to reoffend, Fox News reported.

The report points to Descano's campaign website, which for years said his office would "make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences." It also says Descano told the subcommittee in May that his policy was "written with legal permanent residents in mind for minor crimes," but acknowledged in a September letter that prosecutors may consider immigration consequences for illegal immigrants as well.

Cases the Committee Cited

The committee says Descano's office dropped more than 50 charges against a serial fraudster from China and let defendants charged with malicious wounding, strangulation and assault "escape accountability and reoffend."

One case involves Marvin Morales-Ortez, an alleged MS-13 member whose charges were dropped before the sheriff's office released him in December 2025. The report says he allegedly murdered a man in Reston one day later.

The report also highlights the February stabbing death of Stephanie Minter. The suspect, Abdul Jalloh, is an illegal immigrant with more than 40 prior charges in Fairfax County, according to the committee. "A system failed my daughter," her mother, Cheryl Minter, told the committee.

The committee says it subpoenaed Descano after he declined to identify cases in which his office weighed immigration consequences.

What Descano and the Sheriff Say

Descano has rejected the allegations. He has previously said that "the idea that [his office] favor[s] one group over another is completely wrong," according to Fox News.

Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid blamed the Morales-Ortez release on the lack of prosecution, writing that "the system must work as a whole."

The committee said it will continue its oversight of sanctuary policies "to inform potential legislative reforms."

Hold Everyone Accountable.

Sources: House Judiciary Committee, "New Report: The Dangers of Fairfax County's Radical Sanctuary City Policies" (Oct. 20, 2026): https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press-releases/new-report-dangers-fairfax-countys-radical-sanctuary-city-policies ; Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/virginia-sanctuary-county-ignores-1670-detainer-requests-2-years-house-judiciary-committee-finds