Several Virginia locales, including Occoquan, Dumfries, Haymarket, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Quantico, are now classified as sanctuary jurisdictions, according to a recent update from the Center for Immigration Studies. This classification follows the center’s review of data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The information was disclosed in the latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast, which accompanies the release of the updated sanctuary jurisdiction map.

Sanctuary jurisdictions typically have regulations that limit cooperation with ICE, impacting the enforcement of immigration laws. These measures may include refusing ICE detainers, restricting agency interactions with ICE, or hindering the sharing of information about incarcerated aliens.

ICE uses detainers as a key mechanism to detain aliens involved in criminal activities, ensuring their custody transfer for deportation. These detainers provide details about the individual’s criminal and immigration history, highlighting their public safety or security risk.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center, expressed concern over the growth of sanctuary policies. “It is alarming to see the continued proliferation of sanctuary policies, especially in places like Virginia, where ICE has had to use its scarce resources to re-arrest violent gang members and rapists in our communities who were set free by local jails, when they should have been transferred directly to ICE custody for a plane ride home,” Vaughan stated.

The proliferation of sanctuary policies raises concerns, particularly due to the necessity for ICE to reallocate resources to apprehend dangerous criminals who are released by local authorities rather than being transferred to ICE. Vaughan emphasizes the need for legislative action to foster cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE, and to address non-compliance.

The newly updated map introduces 170 new sanctuary regions across the U.S., including counties and cities. Some of these jurisdictions are in states with laws against sanctuary policies. The report highlights significant increases in sanctuary designations in states like Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska, New York, and Minnesota.

This update, derived from ICE’s internal tracking and a Freedom of Information Act request, points to over 10,000 deportable aliens being released back into communities over the years due to sanctuary policies, with many reoffending.

The news comes as Virginia State Senator Tara Durant (R) revealed reports of two additional intrusions at Quantico Marine Corps Base following the arrests of two men from Jordan who were in the U.S. illegally. Potomac Local News broke the story and told you the men were arrested after allegedly posing as Amazon delivery drivers and ramming the front gate of the military installation on May 3, 2023.

Durant said the additional incursions occurred on May 3, the same day two Jordanian nationals in the U.S. illegally posed as Amazon delivery men.

 

WRC-TV: A judge ruled a Northern Virginia man is competent to stand trial after he was arrested last year on suspicion that he was about to embark on a mass shooting at a megachurch.

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Updated 3:50 p.m. — Washington Gas tells us it shut off the gas to the affected area.

Based off our alert system it look like there may have been third party damage to a service/main line.

A service tech and crew responded to the leak and gas was shut off around approximately 1:22.

Prince William fire and rescue crews were dispatched at 1:30 p.m. to a gas leak near Haymarket, Burnside Farms Lane, and Battlefield High School. We contacted Washington Gas for more information.

We’re hearing from one resident who lives nearby.

Construction workers at Burnside Farm in Haymarket between the houses at 5000 and 5006 Burnside Farm Place cut a gas line when working on a trench to update a water supply line. The five closest homes were told by the Fire Department to shelter inside and to stop gas usage. Washington Gas has been called to cut off the flow.

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The Willing Warriors Retreat houses offer cost-free stays and other non-medical programs that positively affect the recovery of wounded, ill, and injured service members and Veterans. The third house, the Grand Lodge, has six bedrooms, two of them ADA compliant. The increase in capacity will allow the retreat to help more warriors with additional programs.

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A Texas man was sentenced today to 17 years and six months in prison after he was caught traveling to Virginia to have sex with a minor.

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On Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 10:41 a.m., the Prince William Fire and Rescue Department responded to reports of a house fire in the 13000 block of Dominique Estates Lane, located in Haymarket. Upon arrival, crews were met with heavy flames engulfing a single-family home. Fortunately, none of the occupants were present at the time of the incident.

The intensity of the blaze necessitated extensive firefighting efforts, compounded by the absence of nearby fire hydrants. As a result, the home suffered significant damage, rendering it unsafe for habitation. Two adults and three children have been displaced as a consequence.

Regrettably, one firefighter sustained a non-life-threatening injury during the operation and was subsequently transported to a local medical facility for treatment.

Following investigations by the Fire Marshal’s Office, the incident has been deemed accidental in nature. The fire started in the rear of the house.

Once a free-standing emergency department in 2014, Haymarket Medical Center marks 10 years today, March 25, 2024.

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Prince William County fire and rescue crews were called to a house fire today, Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 4 a.m.

Units were dispatched to the 4500 block of Lawnvale Drive near Haymarket where a bathroom ceiling fan fire had ignited material inside a wall.

Crews extinguished the blaze. No injuries were reported. The house sustained moderate damage and was determined to be unsafe to occupy by the Building Official.

The Red Cross assisted three three adults displaced by the incident.

Units responded to the 16300 block of Waterfall Road, near Haymarket for a report of a house fire. Crews arrived to find a fire rapidly spreading throughout the structure. Due to the volume of fire, structural conditions deteriorated quickly hampering fire extinguishment efforts. The incident location also required water to be shuttled in by tankers.

The Building Official declared the home unsafe to occupy displacing one adult. The Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed the fire was ignited when the occupant was operating a lawn mower that caught fire igniting vegetation before spreading to the home.

The Fire Marshal’s Office recommends vegetation capable of burning be kept a minimum of 3 feet away from a structure. This includes dried leaves, tall grass, and bushes.