Guatemalan man charged with child porn possession released by Fairfax County despite ICE detainer, DHS says

A Guatemalan man living illegally in the U.S. has been arrested by federal immigration agents after he was released from jail by Virginia authorities, despite being charged with possessing child pornography, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Roni Mendez-Escobar was arrested Wednesday in Fairfax County, which has drawn national media attention amid a series of crimes committed by illegal immigrants there in recent months.

“This sicko has been charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography and possession of child pornography with intent to distribute. Despite these heinous crimes, sanctuary politicians in Fairfax County, Virginia, refused to honor ICE’s detainer and released a child predator from jail without notifying ICE,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said Thursday.

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Mendez-Escobar was initially arrested in October 2025 and charged with 15 felony counts of possession of obscene material and two felony counts of possession of child porn with intent to distribute. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer with Fairfax County, but it was ignored and he was released days after his arrest without ICE being notified, DHS said.

Mendez-Escobar, who had been deported from the U.S. three times since 2015, entered illegally for a fourth time at an unknown place and date, authorities said.

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Fairfax County has made headlines in recent months over a string of crimes tied to illegal immigrants.

Earlier this month, Misael Lopez Gomez, also an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was arrested and charged with murder and felony child abuse after bludgeoning his own 3-month-old daughter to death.

In March, Anibal Armando Chavarria Muy, also from Guatemala, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after fatally stabbing a man inside his home.

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Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone with a long criminal history including more than 30 arrests, was charged with murder after fatally stabbing Stephanie Minter at a bus stop.

This week, Israel Flores Ortiz, 18, was sentenced to 360 days in jail after being convicted of groping several female classmates in Fairfax High School hallways earlier this year.