EXCLUSIVE: Over 5,600 Illegal Alien Criminals Arrested in Virginia Since February
Spanberger would revoke Gov. Youngkin's executive order that protects Virginia.
More than 5,600 illegal aliens have been arrested in Virginia since Feb. 2025 thanks to federal and state law enforcement working together through the Virginia Homeland Security Task Force. Gov. Youngkin's office told Restoration News those arrested included violent criminals including MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and other gang members affiliated with transnational criminal organizations.
In Feb, Gov. Youngkin issued Executive Order 47 to keep Virginians "safe from dangerous criminal illegal immigrants." The order directed state police and encouraged local sheriffs to work together with immigration enforcement to remove criminal illegal aliens from Virginia communities.
Virginia's Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Abigail Spanberger, has vowed to rescind Youngkin's order—claiming it "tears families apart."
Illegal Alien Invasion Harms Virginians
Four years of wide open borders under the Biden administration have wreaked havoc on Virginians. In 2023, Pew Research estimated over 230,000 unauthorized aliens were living in the state.
That is equivalent to the entire population of Richmond.
Across the Commonwealth there are thousands of examples of illegal aliens harming Virginians. From robberies and assault to child rape and murder, Virginians have been crime victims of Democrat open border policies.
In 2023, Richmond police arrested Yonathan Zelaya-Beltran after he was found to be in possession of drugs and a concealed gun during a traffic stop. Beltran is an illegal alien from El Salvador. Instead of turning him over to immigration authorities, a Virginia court told him to take a gun safety course and go to therapy. A year later, he committed murder.
Virginia's illegal aliens have a prolific Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) problem, killing citizens in both small towns and big cities.
In 2023, in the small town of New Market, Virginia, Bradley Painter was riding his motorcycle on Route 11 when Jony Salazar Ortiz swerved into his lane hitting him head-on. Ortiz had a blood alcohol more than three times the legal limit and no driver's license. Worse, court records indicate this was Ortiz’s second DUI offense. Ortiz killed Painter and was convicted of manslaughter. Restoration News was the only media outlet to report that Jony Ortiz was in the country illegally and placed on an immigration detainer.
In August in Virginia Beach, a previously deported Guatemalan admitted to drinking four shots of tequila and two beers. He then drove head on into another vehicle killing that driver instantly.
These are just a handful of the thousands of cases across Virginia of illegal alien criminals harming Virginians.
Resources Stretched Thin
If Abigail Spanberger becomes governor, she'll roll back the positive actions Gov. Youngkin has taken to protect Virginians from the harmful impacts of the open border invasion.
Not only is the massive influx of illegal aliens in the state impacting the safety of citizens, but resources have also been stretched thin.
The increase of illegal alien criminals has taxed law enforcement across the state. Local and state police have struggled to keep up with the demand of community needs.
Not only is law enforcement stretched thin in apprehending and processing these criminals, but the court system is also inundated. Court records in cases we've reviewed in Virginia indicate the need for translators for illegal aliens because they don't speak English. Virginia jails must also house these criminals while they serve their sentences. The local taxpayer is stuck with the burden of paying these costs.
Effects of the Democrat-supported illegal alien invasion, both seen and unseen, have harmed Virginians in many ways. It's astonishing that Abigail Spanberger would rescind Gov. Youngkin's executive order that seeks to protect Virginians from these illegal alien criminals.
Virginians have a clear choice for their next governor: Abigail Spanberger, who wants to protect illegal aliens, or Winsome Earle-Sears, an immigrant who came to this nation legally who wants to protect Virginians.
Victoria Manning is a Senior Investigative Researcher for Restoration News specializing in education freedom, immigration, and military issues. She is the author of Behind the Wall of Government Schools. Victoria served 8 years as an elected school board member and has a master’s degree in law. She also brings the perspective of a military spouse and mother to her reporting.
Republished with permission from Restoration News.
