ICE Activity In Loudoun County Draws Scrutiny From Board Chair

Updated with statement from ICE, 7/29

ASHBURN, VA – Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall said Thursday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appeared to be operating without proper training and guidelines after a chaotic operational surge in the county on Wednesday.

In a statement posted to Facebook, she said the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office had no prior knowledge of ICE’s “operational surge,” which took place throughout the area, not just in Loudoun County.

Randall says at least seven ICE agents were active in the county, not all wearing the same uniform, with at least one wearing a mask. She also said a high-speed car chase resulted in damage to a Loudoun County resident’s property, but that ICE did not remain on the scene to assess the damage or check for injuries.

ICE made no arrests in the county, she said.

Randall put forth an initiative to the board in June requesting that the Loudoun County attorney investigate whether the county has the legal authority to block ICE activities on county property. She says the board will return to that initiative after its August break.

“Across the nation, there have been numerous deaths of U.S. citizens and residents during ICE operations," Randall wrote. "Although members of Congress have repeatedly requested answers from the Department of Homeland Security regarding deaths during ICE operations, they have not received an adequate response and ICE is not conducting investigations. ICE doesn't appear to be operating with the training and guidelines of other LEOs. Thus, I remain concerned about the safety of Loudoun residents during ICE operations.”

Loudoun Now reported on Wednesday that the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office would continue its cooperation with ICE, in which LCSO can hold inmates with immigration violation warrants for up to 48 hours beyond their release date to give ICE agents time to take them into custody.

The Virginia Community Safety and Trust Act could block much of LCSO's cooperation with ICE, but the sheriff's office is still reviewing the new law, Loudoun Now reports.

In a statement, ICE told Patch, "ICE Washington conducted a targeted enforcement operation in Sterling, Virginia on the morning of July 22 to arrest a criminal illegal alien whose criminal history includes DUI, Drug Possession, Property Damage, Robbery, Possession Stolen Property, Possession of Burglary Tools, Fraud, Shoplifting, Violate Court Order.

During the operation, officers attempted to stop a vehicle that was occupied by a person fitting the description of the target. During the vehicle stop, the driver and passenger of the target vehicle fled the scene without putting the vehicle in park. The vehicle subsequently rolled down a hill into an unrelated residence. No injuries were reported.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office responded along with Loudoun County Fire and EMS.

Resisting officers and evading arrest is dangerous for our officers, illegal aliens, and the public. We remind the public that resisting officers and evading arrests is a felony and a federal crime. Sanctuary politicians need to stop encouraging this dangerous behavior that puts our officers and the public at risk."

The statement also connected messaging by national Democratic figures to attempts to evade arrest.