Agents from the federal government revisit Chirilagua and apprehend a person at a bus stop, a day after the detentions of construction workers
In a series of recent events, federal immigration agents have been active in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, leading to a surge of concern and protests from local residents.
On Monday, federal agents arrested 15 construction workers at Eaton Square Apartments while they were working. The following day, an individual was arrested at a bus stop in Alexandria's Chirilagua neighborhood. The identity and reason for the arrest of the individual in Chirilagua are currently unknown.
Community leaders have been advising residents to familiarise themselves with their rights during immigration enforcement. These rights include the right not to open doors to agents and the right to remain silent.
The Chirilagua neighborhood, located in Alexandria's Arlandria area, has a significant Latino population and a long history of welcoming immigrants. The arrest on Tuesday occurred in the same neighbourhood where a community rally was held the previous evening to denounce federal immigration enforcement actions.
City Councilman Canek Aguirre described Monday's enforcement action as an example of an "authoritarian regime hell bent on terrorizing communities." Councilman R. Kirk McPike stated that arresting workers does not make the community safer and called for an end to the "fascistic ICE raids."
Mayor Gaskins said he is hearing about the incident for the first time and will update once he knows more. The Alexandria Police Department is not involved in federal immigration enforcement and does not receive notification of Federal ICE enforcement. The Alexandria Sheriff's Office, on the other hand, does not participate in any immigration enforcement in the community.
In a statement published on Aug. 13, the Sheriff's Office reassured everyone that the Alexandria Adult Detention Center will not be used to house individuals arrested by ICE during their enforcement of immigration laws. Virginia law requires all sheriffs to determine the citizenship of individuals arrested on felony charges and share this information with ICE. As of mid-July 2025, 35 inmates have been transferred to ICE, compared to 43 in all of 2024.
ALXnow has reached out to Tenants and Workers United, the Alexandria Police Department, the Alexandria Sheriff's Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for comment. This story is developing.
