The Department of Homeland Security announced this week that immigration agents have deported Marcelo Vasquez Reyna, a Mexican national who was in the United States illegally, after he completed a prison sentence for crimes against his own daughter in Virginia.
Court records from the Albemarle County Circuit Criminal Division show Vasquez Reyna pleaded guilty in March to a charge of a parent engaging in a sexual act with a child between ages 15 and 17. The incidents occurred in 2018. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison, with five years suspended.
According to local reporting by ABC 7, Vasquez Reyna was repeatedly arrested for groping his teenage daughter and attempting to rape her using force. His daughter told authorities she lived in fear of further attacks. Following his conviction, ICE lodged a detainer requesting he not be released from custody.
In a post on the social media platform X, DHS wrote that "ICE has DEPORTED Marcelo Vasquez-Reyna, a depraved freak who sexually abused HIS OWN DAUGHTER." The agency added that "criminals like this sicko have NO sanctuary in our nation."
The deportation comes amid heightened scrutiny of immigration enforcement in Virginia. Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger, who took office earlier this year, rescinded an executive order from her Republican predecessor Glenn Youngkin that had directed state law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration authorities.
Spanberger also ordered the termination of all 287(g) agreements between state and local agencies and ICE, which allow local officers to perform immigration functions. Additionally, she signed an order prohibiting ICE from using state property as a staging area or operations base for civil immigration enforcement activities.
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans have seized on cases like Vasquez Reyna's as evidence that limits on federal-state immigration cooperation create public safety risks. The White House and GOP lawmakers argue that criminals who enter the country illegally must be identified and removed before they can victimize Americans.
Virginia Republican officials have criticized Spanberger's early executive actions, saying they created obstacles to deportation proceedings for individuals convicted of serious crimes. State legislators from both chambers have called for reinstating the 287(g) agreements terminated earlier this year.
ICE Director officials have stated publicly that detainers—requests to notify federal agents before releasing inmates from local custody—are critical tools that allow the agency to take custody of deportable individuals after they serve their criminal sentences rather than seeing them walk free into communities. The agency has lodged multiple such detainers in Virginia cases in recent months.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive critics argue that focusing on crimes committed by undocumented immigrants overlooks broader statistical realities about crime rates in the United States. Multiple studies have found that immigrants, including those without legal status, are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans. Advocates for immigrant communities note that blanket restrictions on cooperation between state and federal agencies can sometimes impede law enforcement investigations.
Some Democratic officials have defended governors like Spanberger, arguing that limiting entanglement between local police and federal immigration authorities encourages undocumented residents to cooperate with criminal investigations without fear of deportation. This approach, supporters say, makes communities safer by improving trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement.
Critics on the left also note that many jurisdictions that adopted sanctuary policies did so specifically because aggressive immigration enforcement in some areas led to underreporting of crimes by immigrant witnesses and victims who feared coming forward.
What the Numbers Show
According to ICE enforcement statistics, the agency removed approximately 270,000 individuals in fiscal year 2024, according to preliminary agency data. Of those removals, the department stated that roughly 71 percent had criminal convictions or pending charges.
The 287(g) program, which Spanberger terminated upon taking office, has been a point of contention across multiple states. According to DHS figures, participating jurisdictions have contributed thousands of immigration detainers annually since the program's expansion under the Trump administration.
Virginia's immigrant population stands at approximately 650,000 according to Census Bureau estimates, representing about 7 percent of the state's total population. The state is among the top 15 destinations for immigrants nationally.
The Bottom Line
The Vasquez Reyna case illustrates a recurring flashpoint in federal-state immigration enforcement relations that has intensified under the current administration. Governors in several states have taken varying approaches to cooperation with ICE, with some expanding local involvement and others restricting it.
Spanberger's office did not respond to requests for comment on this story. The Albemarle County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office also declined to provide additional details beyond court records already in the public record.
Immigration enforcement is expected to remain a prominent political issue heading into Virginia's next legislative session, where Republican lawmakers have signaled they will pursue legislation aimed at restoring cooperation mechanisms terminated earlier this year.