Residents in Fairfax County, Virginia expressed frustrations with a slew of violent crimes committed by illegal aliens in recent months while at the same time voicing skepticism over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
"I’m not team ICE, but I do agree that if you’re out here committing crimes, then you don’t want to be here," one respondent said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency at the heart of Trump’s detention and deportation efforts.
"So, I think they should leave the people that are just chilling alone, but if you’re out here committing crimes, yeah, you might have to go."
In particular, residents raised alarm about cases like the murder of Stephanie Minter — a woman stabbed to death at a bus stop in February allegedly at the hands of an illegal alien from Sierra Leone — a repeat offender with a lengthy criminal history.
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Abdul Jalloh, 32, had been arrested more than 30 times, according to the Department of Homeland Security, but was still released by Virginia authorities.
To some, Minter’s death is a clear indicator of a need for reform.
"I’ll tell you this. Someone that’s been arrested 30 times and has been let back out and can commit a crime like this? Something has to change. Something is not working," one Fairfax resident told Fox News Digital.
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"If it’s the 30th time, I don’t know what justification they have for why they’re not sent back or given some sort of harsher punishment," another said.
Fairfax County has made headlines for a string of murders similar to Minter’s case.
Earlier this month, authorities charged 28-year-old Guatemala nativeMisael Lopez Gomez with the murder of his 3-month-old daughter. His arrest comes on the heels of a separate attack by Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, 38, another Guatemalan man charged with fatally stabbing a man in his home.
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According to the Department of Homeland Security, three out of every four suspects charged with murder in Fairfax County are illegal aliens.
Other Fairfax residents approached by Fox News Digital said they believed the state needed to coordinate its law enforcement efforts more tightly.
"The new governor — she needs to do better to work with the Fairfax police department. It’s up to her too. She’s a new one," a commentator said, referring to Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who assumed office in November.
While Spanberger has repeatedly said Virginia is not a sanctuary state, a state that prevents local law enforcement from partnering with federal immigration enforcement efforts, Spanberger rescinded local-federal coordination requirements as one of her first actions as governor.
She argued that Virginia’s resources would be better spent enforcing its own laws.
"Virginians have been deprived of critical public safety and local law enforcement to divert their limited resources for use in enforcing federal civil immigration laws," Spanberger said in a press release.
"Federal authorities should enforce federal civil immigration laws — law enforcement in the Commonwealth should prioritize the safety and security of all residents in Virginia, the enforcement of local and state laws and coordination with federal entities on criminal matters," she added.
Spanberger signed her executive order on Jan. 17 — the same day she took office.
Although some residents said they had reservations about federal immigration policies, they suggested illegal aliens with criminal histories probably shouldn’t raise controversy.
"I do think that’s a good place to start. People that are committing crimes actively now, who are not supposed to be here? I mean, yeah. That’s reasonable," another resident said.
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