September 3, 2026
Contact: Deb Freeman, [email protected], 757-452-1143
FOIA Request Reveals 287(g) Violations by Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office
ICE Out of Loudoun (New Virginia Majority, SURJ Nova, Indivisible Nova West, Centreville Immigration Forum, Loudoun4All, and Congregation Action Network) filed a FOIA request to confirm observations from community members about immigration enforcement by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). The findings uncovered recorded incidents between March 2025 and July 2026 that suggest contacting ICE is a routine practice within LCSO, and that any encounter the immigrant community has with LCSO could potentially trigger sharing personal information with ICE.
287(g) agreements allow ICE to authorize trained state and local officers to perform certain federal immigration enforcement duties. LCSO's 287(g) agreement, signed by Sheriff Mike Chapman, authorizes sheriff's deputies to facilitate ICE arrests of people who have been booked into the Loudoun Adult Detention Center. In the past, LCSO spokespeople have denied agency participation in immigration enforcement during policing duties in the field.
Documents demonstrate that when LCSO deputies discover a community member has an immigration violation, ICE is contacted to report the person's whereabouts and other identifying personal information. 911 calls for help, motorists in car accidents and pulled over for routine traffic violations, and uninvolved bystanders to LCSO investigations were all instances where deputies accessed immigration status.
One recorded incident involved a woman who called LCSO for help during a domestic disturbance, and it was discovered she had a civil immigration violation. A responding LCSO officer called ICE and shared "her information and a recent photograph to confirm her occupancy at the residence and identity," according to the LCSO incident report.
"These documents confirm what the community has been telling us since last year: that the sheriff's collaboration with ICE is not limited to the 287(g) agreement or to people detained at the county jail. Under Mike Chapman's leadership, any contact with the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, from a routine traffic stop to a 911 call for help, could lead to an immigrant being reported to ICE," said Kathryn Dooley, NVM researcher.
Maria, the wife of a community member that was detained by LCSO in Leesburg, said, "He went to court, and when he stepped outside, immigration agents were already waiting for him. That day was the last time we saw him. He never came home…my daughters wait for him every day, and his absence has left a huge void in our home."
When law enforcement collaborates with ICE to hand over our neighbors, it makes all of us less safe. Immigrants already living in fear are punished for seeking help, while LCSO prioritizes support for ICE over Loudoun families. Local resources should be invested in housing, education, and other community needs – not used for federal immigration enforcement.
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New Virginia Majority builds power in working-class communities of color, in immigrant communities, among LGBTQ people, women, youth, and progressives across the Commonwealth. We organize for racial and economic justice through large-scale political education, mobilization and advocacy around dozens of issues. We fight for a Virginia that is just, democratic and environmentally sustainable. For more information, visit our website and follow us on X and Facebook at @NewVAMajority.