LEESBURG, Va.—A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request made by New Virginia Majority and ICE OUT of Loudon has resulted in the acquisition of records documenting a level of collaboration between the Loudon County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) extending beyond what officials previously disclosed.
Up until now, LSCO has reassured both the community and the Loudon County Board of Supervisors that its collaboration with ICE doesn’t go beyond a 287(g) Warrant Service Model agreement. A 287(g) is a legal contract that allows local jails to serve and execute federal immigration arrest warrants on people—but only if they are already locked up for some other offense.
Loudon County Sheriff Michael Chapman described the LCSO’s cooperation with ICE as having “nothing to do with field enforcement operations.” The agreement is confined to assisting with administrative warrants for persons of interest already in custody. These individuals can be held for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release to allow ICE time to pick them up.
According to the newly obtained data and a statement made by the coalition of New Virginia Majority, SURJ Nova, Indivisible Nova West, Centreville Immigration Forum, Loudoun4All, and Congregation Action Network, however:
“At least 13 times between March 2025 and July 2026, deputies in the field called ICE to report where an immigrant neighbor could be found. Five had been pulled over for routine traffic violations. Four were involved in car accidents. Three had called 911 for help. One was a bystander with nothing to do with the investigation.”
In light of this revelation, LCSO Media Relations Director Tom Julia released a statement describing this as valid “information sharing” having to do with enforcement. In other words, the claim is that this collaboration, though undisclosed, does not meet the criteria of a 287(g) task force model and does not qualify as enforcement assistance.
Coalition members see this as attempted evasion and say it does not account for the fact that in the past LCSO officials have told the Loudon County Board of Supervisors that deputies on patrol do not have access to immigration data or an individual’s immigration status.
As the Loudon Times-Mirror reports, Supervisor Juli E. Briskman finds the new revelations “gravely concerning” and deserving of a “full explanation,” as she was not informed “deputies were contacting ICE during interactions with the public.”
Likewise, Board Chair Phyllis J. Randall states, “The sheriff has repeatedly told BOS members, and more importantly the Loudoun community writ large, that his department has no engagement or interaction with ICE other than the 287(g) program.”
Randall called for the office to terminate the employment of anyone violating stated policy.
On Sept. 11, Sheriff Mike Chapman announced he will decline a request for information from the Board of Supervisors. In an open letter to the Board on Sept. 15, he denied the validity of the FOIA-obtained data and doubled down on previously stated LCSO ICE policy.
The denial of any collaboration with ICE outside of the formal 287(g) agreement is evidence in itself, advocates locally argue, that the LCSO knew this was against the public trust and see it as sufficient reason to dismantle the current 287(g) agreement and change the leadership at LCSO.
Loudoun County jail is being used as a detention entry point based on administrative warrants issued by ICE with no judicial authority, and courts across the U.S. have found these ICE holds to be unconstitutional.
In 2025, LSCO released over 250 inmates to ICE. Current ICE arrest and detainer numbers for Loudoun County are unavailable, as this year is only reported through May. LoudounNow has submitted a FOIA request for this information but has not received a response. It is believed the numbers could be high, given ICE’s reported surge in enforcement this August.
Loudon County Algonkian District Supervisor Juli Briskman said, “No one should fear that calling 911 for help, being involved in a traffic accident, or interacting with law enforcement on a routine matter could result in their information being reported to ICE, potentially leading to their lives and families being torn apart.”
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