Amid escalating concerns over claims the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office is cooperating with U.S. Immigration and Customs enforcement, the Alexandria City Council hosted a hearing Saturday where city leaders and dozens of community members voiced their opposition to the allegations of cooperation.
“Please end the Sheriff’s Department collaboration with ICE,” one speaker said
“I have never seen the level of terror in this country, this country which is supposed to be a country of safety, and now we’re no longer seeing that.” another speaker said.
At the center of the claims is Alexandria Sheriff Sean Casey. Residents allege Casey’s department is voluntarily cooperating with ICE agents.
“Unfortunately, Sheriff Casey has doubled down, he refuses to ask ICE for a judicial warrant when he transfers a person from the Alexandria Jail to ICE custody,” a speaker said.
The discussion over that alleged cooperation was brought back to the forefront after the Alexandria City Council issued a statement, which reads, in part, “We do not support any voluntary participation by the Sheriff’s Office in ICE immigration procedures. We call upon the sheriff to cease his transfer of persons in his custody in response to ICE administrative detainers and warrants.”
For perspective, according to the Sheriff’s Office, as of Aug. 31, about 1,500 people have been arrested in Alexandria since the start of 2025. Forty of those inmates were transferred to ICE custody
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Casey rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s demand that the sheriff’s office participates and cooperate in immigration enforcement in the city.
“The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office is not doing any immigration enforcement in our community, so what you see ICE doing nationwide, we’re not doing that,” Casey said. “We haven’t been doing that, and we’re not going to do that.”
News4 sat down with Casey, who says there is confusion inside in the community and among council members when it comes to terminology. The sheriff says there is no such thing as a judicial warrant from ICE and that when ICE files an administrative warrant on someone with a detainer, he is required to release them to ICE.
“The people who issue warrants are given that authority by the legislature, by Congress. That’s who gives authority for people to issue warrants, and Congress gave ICE the authority to issue these warrants, and when a judge issues a warrant, that authority comes from Congress,” Casey said. “[…] The idea that ICE can issue a judicial warrant for a violation of immigration law is not true. They cannot.”
Casey says that he has removed ICE from the department’s federal jail contract with the country’s marshals service. In the meantime, community members are calling on the mayor and city council to hold a public hearing so Casey can talk about his alleged work with ICE.
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