December 2, 2025
Contact: Debra Freeman at [email protected] or 757-452-1143
ICE Out of Loudoun Coalition Hosts Solidarity Vigil for Community Members
Leesburg, Va. - New Virginia Majority (NVM) and ICE Out of Loudoun Coalition partners will host a solidarity vigil and press conference on December 4, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at Leesburg Park & Ride (41951 Gourley Transit Dr, Leesburg, Va.). Community members are also invited to donate toys at the vigil to be distributed to local immigrant families.
Since the 2024 summer, 271 people have disappeared from their homes and the community because of Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman’s authorization. LCSO's 287(g) agreement with ICE is a form of voluntary collaboration which Sheriff Chapman has the power to end at any time. Local resources should be invested in housing, education, and other community needs, not for federal immigration enforcement.
Sofia Saiyed, organizing director at NVM, said, “Under Sheriff Chapman’s leadership, hundreds of families have been separated, and thousands more live in constant fear. LSCO withholds information about the extent of their collaboration with ICE. Our immigrant families are an essential part of the Loudoun community.”
Loudoun4All said, “In Loudoun, every person disappeared into the 287(g) pipeline is a life uprooted and a family thrown into fear. These policies inflict deep, lasting harm on all of us.”
“We had already heard that the police were collaborating with immigration, but we never imagined it would happen to us. We only ask for respect and safety. We want to live in a county and a state where immigrant families can feel protected and not persecuted," said a Sterling resident, who wishes to remain anonymous and was questioned about his immigration status at a traffic stop.
To speak with a NVM member or coalition partner, contact Debra Freeman at [email protected] or 757-452-1143.
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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.