Steve Cortes, President of the League of American Workers, said that Virginia’s sanctuary policies enable the release of convicted criminals, thereby endangering families. This statement was made to the Richmond Leader.
“When a foreign criminal walks free in Richmond because Virginia politicians crave virtue points, that’s not justice, that’s betrayal,” said Cortes. “Sanctuary in this state has become a shield for predators, not protection for people. Every time Richmond officials release another felon, they handcuff law enforcement and endanger Virginia families.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on October 17, 2025, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Rick Martinez Lopez, a Guatemalan national with multiple convictions in Virginia. According to DHS, Richmond City Jail declined to honor a federal detainer, allowing his release despite convictions for child sexual assault and failure to register as a sex offender.
According to a Virginia Department of Corrections fact sheet, as of November 27, 2024, there were 945 inmates in state facilities with open immigration detainers. Of these inmates, 91 percent had a violent most-serious offense, and 41 percent were incarcerated for rape or sexual assault. The data illustrate the significant share of violent offenders among detained noncitizens in Virginia’s correctional system.
The American Immigration Council reports that ICE has prioritized the arrest and removal of noncitizens posing threats to public safety or national security. However, inconsistent cooperation from local jurisdictions has limited federal enforcement capacity, leading to uneven outcomes in detaining individuals with prior convictions.
C-SPAN identifies Steve Cortes as the founder and president of the League of American Workers and a former Trump campaign adviser. In a Washington Journal appearance, he discussed voter and economic issues while representing the League, an organization dedicated to advocating for working-class Americans in national economic and immigration debates.