Public School Safety

The Trump Department of Homeland Security is publicly urging Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Fairfax County officials not to release 19-year-old Israel Flores Ortiz, an undocumented immigrant charged with nine counts of assault and battery for allegedly groping multiple girls at Fairfax High School. DHS says Ortiz entered the U.S. illegally in 2024 and was released under the Biden administration, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis blasted Fairfax’s and Spanberger’s limits on cooperation with ICE, calling them 'sanctuary' policies that side with 'criminal illegal aliens over American citizens.' Fairfax County’s sheriff says Ortiz is currently held without bond in the county’s Adult Detention Center, acknowledges that the office does not hold inmates on civil ICE detainers without a judicial order, but insists ICE has been notified of his custody and can pick him up if a court orders his release. The case has inflamed local parents already outraged over reports that he allegedly grabbed girls between the legs in crowded school hallways throughout the year, and it adds a concrete, emotionally charged example to the national fight over how far states and localities can go in declining to assist ICE while still claiming to prioritize public safety.