Published first in the National Review here.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested a Bolivian illegal immigrant this week who was previously convicted of sex crimes against a Virginia minor and separately charged with possession of child pornography and driving while intoxicated.
Agents apprehended Jose Fabricio Veizaga-Vargas on August 19 in Annandale, Va., the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Washington, D.C., said in a statement on Friday.
The 36-year-old illegal immigrant first entered the country in April 2023, when he crossed the border in Texas and was caught and released by border authorities. He was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge at a later date.
The ICE apprehension comes after Fairfax County officials declined on multiple occasions to honor immigration detainers filed against Veizaga amid his string of crimes.
Veizaga was convicted of misdemeanor sexual assault of a child aged 13 to 14 on July 15 and sentenced to six months in jail. However, the court suspended his sentence, according to ERO.
After his conviction was suspended, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center disregarded an immigration detainer against Veizaga and released him from custody without notifying the ERO, the agency said.
On August 8, Veizaga was arrested and charged him with misdemeanor DWI as a first offense with a blood alcohol content of 0.15 percent to 0.20 percent. The Fairfax County Adult Detention Center ignored a second immigration detainer after the DWI arrest and once again released Veizaga without notifying ERO.
Veizaga was arrested in Fairfax County again on August 15 and charged with seven counts of felony possession of child pornography and felony possession of obscene material with a minor.
The Fairfax County Adult Detention Center then ignored a third immigration detainer against Veizaga and released him once again.
ERO Washington agents arrested Veizaga on August 19 and served him with a notice of custody determination.
“Jose Fabricio Veizaga-Vargas is a convicted sex offender who victimized a minor in Northern Virginia,” ERO Washington, D.C., field office director Liana Castano said. “We cannot allow such an obvious danger to threaten the children of our community. ERO Washington, D.C., will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our Washington, D.C., and Virginia neighborhoods.”