Virginia Court Ignores ICE Detainer, Releases Illegal Alien Accused of Murder Hours Later
Marvin Morales-Ortez, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador with a criminal record, is accused of murder in Reston, Virginia, just one day after his release from Fairfax County Jail. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had issued a detainer request to hold Morales-Ortez, but Fairfax County authorities released him after the case against him was dropped. ICE stated that the tragic killing could have been prevented if local officials had cooperated with their agency. Morales-Ortez had multiple charges in Fairfax County as 2020 but was only convicted once. After his release, authorities attempted to detain him under an emergency custody order related to mental health concerns, but were unable to locate him prior to the murder. Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office responded by noting that a judicial warrant was required to hold Morales-Ortez beyond release, which ICE did not obtain. Morales-Ortez allegedly had ties to the MS-13 gang, and the victim lived in the same reston residence where the crime occurred.
An illegal immigrant with a criminal record is accused of committing murder a day after he was sprung from a Virginia jail in spite of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeking to detain him.
Marvin Morales-Ortez, a citizen of El Salvador, is accused of a murder in Reston, Virginia, according to WJLA-TV.
ICE said the killing would not have happened if Fairfax County authorities had cooperated with the law enforcement agency, according to a post on X from Fox News reporter Bill Melugin.
“ICE confirms that a murder suspect arrested for shooting & killing a man in Reston, VA yesterday is a Salvadoran illegal alien who had just been released from the Fairfax County, VA jail the day beforehand with ICE’s detainer request ignored,” Melugin wrote. “Morales-Ortez had been in Fairfax County jail while facing charges for brandishing a gun and assaulting & inuring someone, but he was released on Tuesday when the case was dropped.”
“ICE says their detainer to transfer him to their custody was ignored by Fairfax County.
“After his release on Tuesday, Fairfax County Police say that an emergency custody order was obtained for Morales-Ortez due to mental health/danger concerns. They looked for him to take him into custody, but they were unable to find him.”
Melugin said Morales-Ortez has been accused of at least seven crimes in Fairfax County since 2020.
In a statement, ICE said, “Fairfax County FAILED the victim by refusing to work with ICE and releasing this criminal alien onto Virginia streets instead of safely into ICE custody.”
“If Fairfax County would have simply worked to uphold our nation’s laws, then this tragedy may have never happened.”
NEW: ICE confirms that a murder suspect arrested for shooting & killing a man in Reston, VA yesterday is a Salvadoran illegal alien who had just been released from the Fairfax County, VA jail the day beforehand with ICE’s detainer request ignored.
23-year-old Marvin… pic.twitter.com/TjBpO5fWsp
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) December 18, 2025
WJLA said Morales-Ortez allegedly belonged to the MS-13 gang.
The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office fired back at ICE, with a representative saying “a judicial warrant that would be required to hold him past the ordered release was not on file.”
“ICE is always free to arrest an inmate on an informal detainer. However, in order to hold an inmate, the Sheriff’s Office requires a judicial warrant to be filed. ICE is aware of this and did not obtain a judicial warrant for this person,” the representative said.
As a result, Morales-Ortez was set free after a hearing on an incident that took place Sept. 12.
WJLA noted that despite being charged multiuple times with crimes, Morales-Ortez was only convicted once.
WJLA reported that Morales-Ortez and the murder victim lived in the Reston home where the crime took place.
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