DHS officials have urged local leaders in Fairfax County and Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger not to free an adult illegal alien accused of groping multiple high school girls, sparking alarm among parents and a debate over local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. The accused is being held in the county detention center while sheriff’s officials say ICE has been notified. School officials say they prioritize safety but cite privacy rules, and parents say the response was too slow.
A 19-year-old identified as Israel Flores Ortiz faces nine counts of assault and battery after a string of alleged groping incidents at a Fairfax County high school. Parents and victims described a pattern where Ortiz allegedly approached several girls from behind in crowded hallways and grabbed them between the legs. Reports say roughly a dozen girls were targeted at different times during the school year.
DHS says Ortiz entered the United States illegally in 2024 and was released into the country by the Biden administration, and the agency formally asked that he not be released back into the community. DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the agency is “calling on Fairfax County sanctuary politicians to NOT release this predator from jail back into our communities to assault more teenage women.” Bis added that local leaders are “siding with criminal illegal aliens over American citizens.”
Bis did not hold back, saying “This 19-year-old criminal illegal alien should NOT have been attending a Virginia high school and allowed to prey on innocent teenage girls,” and called the case “yet another example of the Biden Administration’s failed open border policies.” Those comments underline a Republican view that open-border practices and sanctuary policies are directly linked to public safety problems in communities and schools.
The suspect is being held without bond in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, overseen by the county sheriff, and county policy limits honoring ICE administrative detainers unless backed by a judicial order. A sheriff’s office spokesperson said Ortiz “remains in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.” The spokesperson added that “while it is still too early in the process to know the outcome of his case, ICE has been notified of Ortiz’s location at the ADC” and “they are able to execute their detainer by responding to the ADC and taking Ortiz into custody if and when he is ordered released.” Conroy emphasized that the office “does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers.”
As governor, Spanberger rolled back state policies that required cooperation with ICE, arguing in part that “when state and local law enforcement are pulled away from upholding our Virginia laws to do the job of federal agents, it weakens their ability to deepen trust — contributing to a culture of fear and distrust that makes it harder for officers to do their jobs.” In a later executive order she wrote that Virginia law enforcement should “focus on upholding the rule of law, investigating and stopping criminal conduct, and protecting public safety, not the administrative enforcement of civil status.”
Parents say those policy choices have consequences inside schools. One mother, Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, called the situation “this entire horrifying situation is the direct consequence of policy with really dysfunctional priorities,” and warned that policies attempt to “shield adult illegal immigrants at the expense of children’s safety, even in their public schools.” Several parents say school officials waited as long as two weeks to notify families about the incidents, and that public pressure finally forced action.
Fairfax County Public Schools responded that while it is “unable to comment on specifics due to federal and state privacy laws, we prioritize student and staff safety and we fully investigate any time someone shares that an incident has occurred at school, or that they do not feel safe at school.” The system also said it is “grateful to our law enforcement partners who continue to work swiftly and thoroughly when there are safety concerns in our schools” and that the “safety of all FCPS students and staff remains a top priority.”
The case remains active and procedural steps are ongoing, with local officials and parents watching closely as law enforcement and prosecutors move forward. Community anger and calls for policy changes are likely to continue as details emerge and legal decisions determine whether ICE will take custody if the local jail releases the suspect.
Graduate Student, wife, engaged political and legal writer.