ICE Arrests Illegal Alien Convicted of Child Rape After Fairfax County, Virginia Released Him [WATCH]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested 21-year-old Guatemalan national Ander Cortez-Mendez, a convicted child rapist and illegal alien, after he was released by local authorities in Fairfax County despite a federal immigration detainer request.

ICE just announced the arrest of Ander Cortez-Mendez, a convicted illegal alien child s*x offender in Virginia, who was RELEASED by local law enforcement after they refused to honor an ICE detainer request. pic.twitter.com/Ua4pKplDfV

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 7, 2025

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ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) confirmed that Cortez-Mendez was taken into custody on April 2 in Falls Church, Virginia.

His arrest came nearly two weeks after the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center ignored ICE’s detainer request and released him back into the community.

Cortez-Mendez first entered the United States illegally in February 2018, crossing the southern border near Rio Grande Valley, Texas.

He was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol shortly after his entry and issued a notice to appear before a federal immigration judge.

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He remained in the country as removal proceedings were pending.

In March 2024, he was arrested by Fairfax County police on charges related to the sexual abuse of a minor.

Following his arrest, ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on March 18, requesting that local authorities notify federal officials before releasing him.

However, in line with sanctuary-style policies implemented in Fairfax County, local authorities declined to comply with the detainer and instead released Cortez-Mendez from custody.

Despite being convicted by the Fairfax County Circuit Court on May 20, 2024, of engaging in sexual intercourse with a child, the court issued only a three-month sentence—and then suspended it entirely.

This decision effectively allowed Cortez-Mendez, a convicted sex offender, to avoid any time behind bars and remain free in the community.

“Ander Cortez-Mendez is a convicted sex offender, and exactly the type of illegal alien that ICE officers seek to remove from Washington, D.C. and Virginia,” said ICE Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Russell Hott in a statement.

“We refuse to allow such offenders to continue to threaten the residents of our neighborhoods.

ICE Washington, D.C. and our law enforcement partners will continue to arrest and remove criminal aliens from the streets of our communities,” Hott said.

Cortez-Mendez’s case highlights ongoing friction between federal immigration authorities and local jurisdictions that have adopted policies limiting cooperation with ICE.

Fairfax County, like several other Democrat-led counties and municipalities across the United States, has implemented sanctuary measures that restrict local law enforcement from honoring federal immigration detainers unless accompanied by a judicial warrant.

Critics argue these policies put public safety at risk, especially in cases involving violent crimes or offenses against children.

ICE officials have repeatedly warned that refusing to cooperate with immigration detainers allows criminal aliens to reenter communities undetected and without oversight.

Following his April 2 arrest by ERO officers, Cortez-Mendez was taken into ICE custody and is now pending removal proceedings.

ICE stated it will continue prioritizing the arrest and removal of individuals who pose a threat to public safety, particularly those convicted of crimes involving minors.

As of this report, Fairfax County officials have not issued a public statement explaining the decision to release Cortez-Mendez or to address concerns surrounding the suspended sentence.

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