Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman on Tuesday accused a Democratic county supervisor of making “false” claims about deputies helping federal immigration authorities round up illegal immigrants.
“Supervisor [Juli] Briskman’s false reporting is a shameful attempt to divide our strong community and undermine law enforcement in one of the safest major counties in the nation,” Sheriff Chapman said.
He was responding to Ms. Briskman’s claim that deputies had detained someone for Immigration and Customs Enforcement after the person called police for assistance following a car crash.
Ms. Briskman, who launched her political career after she flipped off President Trump’s motorcade in Loudoun County in 2017, also criticized the sheriff’s office’s detainer agreement with ICE, which requires the office to hold arrested illegal immigrants until federal authorities take custody of them.
Sheriff Chapman called Ms. Briskman’s statement “a regurgitation of previous false statements and her history of opposing public safety measures in furtherance of her political ambitions.”
He specifically disputed Ms. Briskman’s statement that the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is joining in ICE’s field operations.
Sheriff Chapman said deputies do not vet for immigration status when making a traffic stop or an arrest, noting that his office has no authority to enforce federal immigration laws.
The only time that deputies learn of someone’s immigration status is when they are processed at the county’s...
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman on Tuesday accused a Democratic county supervisor of making “false” claims about deputies helping federal immigration authorities round up illegal immigrants. “...