DHS Presses Spanberger As Fairfax Sheriff Explains ICE Detainer Policy

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — The Department of Homeland Security is asking Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Fairfax County officials to keep a man accused of killing a Reston mother in custody if he becomes eligible for release.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged an immigration detainer for 19-year-old Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday, the same day police announced that he had been taken into custody, DHS said in a Thursday release.

Fairfax County police charged Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos, 19, of Maryland, with second-degree murder Wednesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of 42-year-old Carmen Lizet Puch of Reston.

Cedillos-Campos was apprehended in Lanham, Maryland, through a joint effort involving the Fairfax County Police Department’s Fugitive Tracking and Apprehension Team, Prince George’s County police and the U.S. Marshals Service, according to FCPD.

He remained at the Prince George’s County jail awaiting extradition to Fairfax County, police said. If transferred to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, he would be held under the authority of the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office.

Police Chief Kevin Davis said during Wednesday’s news conference that Cedillos-Campos was “offering a full confession for what transpired” while being interviewed by Fairfax County homicide detectives.

DHS said ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on the day Cedillos-Campos was arrested. The department asked Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Fairfax County officials to cooperate with ICE and ensure he is not released from local custody.

Cedillos-Campos is charged with second-degree murder. The charge is an accusation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Sheriff Oversees Fairfax Jail

Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has not commented publicly on the Cedillos-Campos case. In response to an earlier ICE detainer, however, Kincaid told Patch that her office notifies ICE whenever an undocumented person is booked into the county jail. She said ICE is responsible for taking custody once a judge orders an inmate released.

“The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office never prevents ICE from acting on their civil requests,” Kincaid told Patch at the time.

Kincaid said the Sheriff’s Office must comply when a judge orders an inmate’s release. ICE agents are responsible for coming to the jail to take that person into custody, she said.

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According to Kincaid, ICE is notified whenever an undocumented person is booked into the Adult Detention Center.

Kincaid gave similar testimony in May when she appeared with Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano before a House Judiciary subcommittee examining the county’s immigration-related policies.

Kincaid testified that federal agents may take custody of someone by obtaining a judicial warrant, monitoring court dates or coordinating a transfer with the Sheriff’s Office. She said immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that her office follows Virginia law while allowing ICE access to the jail.

Her earlier comments suggest the Sheriff’s Office distinguishes between civil immigration requests and judicial orders. DHS did not say in Thursday’s release whether ICE had obtained a judicial warrant involving Cedillos-Campos.

DHS Calls For Cooperation With ICE

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called on Spanberger and Fairfax County officials to cooperate with ICE and ensure Cedillos-Campos is not released from jail.

Mullin blamed immigration policies under former President Joe Biden’s administration for Cedillos-Campos’ presence in the United States.

DHS said Cedillos-Campos, an El Salvador native, entered the country through Texas in April 2024, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and was subsequently released.

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The DHS release also criticized executive orders Spanberger signed during her first days in office. DHS characterized the orders as prohibiting state cooperation with ICE and ending state and local immigration enforcement agreements under Section 287(g).

DHS did not say Cedillos-Campos was scheduled for release. The department’s request concerned what it wants state and local officials to do if he becomes eligible for release from local custody.

The release cited 20 other Virginia criminal cases involving people DHS said were in the country illegally. Those cases included pending charges, convictions, sentences and ICE arrests from February through July.

Patch reached out to Gov. Spanberger's office on Thursday afternoon for comment. This story will be updated once a response is received.

Police Say Suspect Was Confessing

Cedillos-Campos was taken into custody without incident in Prince George’s County, Maryland, less than 48 hours after Puch was found dead at Difficult Run Park in Great Falls, police said.

Davis said Cedillos-Campos was “offering a full confession for what transpired” during an interview with detectives. Police said Cedillos-Campos and Puch worked at the same restaurant and had been involved in an intimate relationship.

Investigators said restaurant surveillance video showed Cedillos-Campos taking a fixed-blade knife, black latex gloves and a water bottle early Monday. Police allege he later filled the bottle with gasoline siphoned from his motorcycle.

Police believe Cedillos-Campos and Puch intentionally met at Difficult Run Park in the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike.

Puch was stabbed numerous times while sitting in the driver’s seat of her Honda Civic, police said. Cedillos-Campos then allegedly poured gasoline on her and tried unsuccessfully to set her on fire.

A runner found Puch outside the car and called 911 at about 6:43 a.m. Monday. Puch was the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, according to police.

Criminal charges are accusations. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Also See

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• Arlington Prosecutor, Rep. Don Beyer Seek Answers After Jose Mejia Hernandez's ICE Arrest