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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed a detainer preventing the release of Nehemia Noel Fuentes-Banegas, a Honduran national accused of attacking a Fairfax County police officer in Northern Virginia. The detainer requests that local authorities notify federal immigration officials before any potential discharge of the suspect from custody.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, officers responded Tuesday to a report of a man who had departed a residence in Annandale armed with two knives following a domestic dispute. The suspect allegedly inflicted knife wounds on himself before escaping into a wooded area near the home.
While conducting a search of the woods, Fuentes-Banegas emerged and allegedly lunged at an officer in an effort to seize the officer’s firearm. One officer discharged his service weapon while a colleague deployed a Taser device; the gunshot grazed Fuentes-Banegas’ shoulder, police reported.
Fuentes-Banegas now faces charges of attempted disarming of a law enforcement officer. DHS officials stated he unlawfully entered the United States through Texas in 2022 and was subsequently released under policies implemented during the Biden administration.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin condemned the incident in a statement, calling Fuentes-Banegas a “criminal illegal alien” and urging Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger to ensure he remains incarcerated. Federal authorities attributed the case to state sanctuary policies that restrict cooperation with immigration enforcement.
Spanberger’s administration terminated predecessor Glenn Youngkin’s 287(g) agreements and limited state-level ICE collaboration upon taking office. DHS characterized Virginia as “a hotbed of illegal alien crime” under current leadership.
The detainer filing follows the recent arrest of Mexican national Raul Genesis Ortiz Moran, charged with second-degree murder and aggravated sexual battery in connection with a 2-year-old girl’s death in Louisa County. Spanberger’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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