FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano and Sheriff Stacey Kincaid are testifying Thursday morning on Capitol Hill before the U.S. House Judiciary subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.
The hearing is titled, “Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies.”
FULL HEARING:
Fairfax County prosecutor Steve Descano testifies before House lawmakers on May 14, 2026.
RELATED | TRAGEDY TO TESTIMONY: How Steve Descano ended up in the hot seat on Capitol Hill
7News has extensively reported that Descano has repeatedly given leniency to illegal immigrant defendants.
For years, Descano’s website said: “Wherever possible, Steve will make charging and plea decisions that limit or avoid immigration consequences” and “If two people commit the same crime, but only one’s punishment includes deportation, that’s a perversion of justice and not a reflection of the values of Fairfax County.”
During the hearing, Rep. Jim Jordan asked why Descano removed his immigration policy from his website weeks before the congressional hearing.
Descano replied that he couldn’t believe people were so “obtuse” that they couldn’t realize the difference of his campaign rhetoric and the official policy of his office.
7News has also extensively reported that Sheriff Kincaid refuses to honor ICE detainers for illegal immigrant criminals and suspects, instead, letting them loose into the community where some have committed additional crimes.
During the hearing, Virginia U.S. Rep. Ben Cline asked Kincaid if she would honor a detainer against Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant accused of murdering Stephanie Minter.
Cline: “Sheriff Kincaid, will you honor the ice detainer?”
Kincaid: “I would certainly hope that this case would be prosecuted and that justice would be served. Certainly when it comes to Mr. Jalloh, there hasn’t been ICE detainers with the exception of one time in 2018, which we turned him over to ICE, and then the second time, which we had to release him to a facility. Each other time he’s been in my custody, there’s been no detainers.”
Cline: “If one comes, will you honor it?”
Kincaid: “As long as I have the authority to do so and ICE knows what our policy is.”
Cline: “Then yes?”
Kincaid: “If I’m given a judicial warrant, yes.”
Cheryl Minter also testified to the committee Thursday. Minter’s only daughter, Stephanie, was stabbed and killed at a bus stop in Fairfax County in February. The suspect, Jalloh, has been arrested in the county more than 30 times.
“We cannot ignore this. We cannot look away. Compassion should never come at the cost of public safety. Care for one group should not mean danger for another. We can be a community that is both caring and responsible. We can have policies that protect people and also keep our streets safe, but that means we must act,” Cheryl Minter said during opening statements.
On March 4, 7News Reporter Nick Minock was the first to obtain and report on emails in a Freedom of Information Act request that showed the Fairfax County Police Department warned Descano’s office about Jalloh three separate times and urged his office not to drop charges against Jalloh or else he could harm, or even kill someone.
7News obtained Cheryl Minter’s remarks to the committee before the hearing:
“Good morning to the members of the committee. I appreciate you granting me the time and space to speak. Thank you for your attendance.
My name is Cheryl Minter. I am the mother of Stephanie Nicole Minter.
I would like to open today’s subject: Stephanie Nicole Minter, with a poem:
“Every good painting will take a million strokes.
To make a good song, you have to go mining to find the perfect notes.
And a castle is created stone by stone with patience and care, because great leaps come with small steps and time. “
This poem comes from my favorite coffee cup, gifted to me by Stephanie. We would share a cup of coffee during early mornings. We butted heads like every other mother-daughter, but wanted to actively take steps together to make our relationship better. We would share stories, memories, laughter, thoughts of the future, and more. This is something I will never get to experience again because of the failures of our justice system.
Stephanie was my daughter, my heart. She was a loving mother, a daughter, sister an auntie, a friend, and a mentor. She believed in God. She cared for people. She showed up for others, even when she was tired. Stephanie was my memory, since mine isn’t all that great anymore. She always knew the right bible verse for any situation. Always smiling, always joyful, and always loved life even through the bad times.
Stephanie was a woman who faced many battles in life. She always came out the other side of tough times with that bright smile on her face. That same smile is something I will never be able to see again. A smile the world will never be able to bear witness to again.
On February 24, 2026, I woke up to the worst call a parent can ever receive. My daughter was gone. Taken in the most horrific way while simply waiting for a bus in Fairfax County on the night of February 23, 2026.
No mother should have to stand here and say these words. No family should have to bury their child like this.
Stephanie’s life mattered. Her voice mattered. Her future mattered.
And today, I stand here because her life was taken in a way that should have never happened.
The man who took my daughter’s life should not have been free to walk the streets. He had been picked up many times. He was known. There were warnings. There were emails sent saying he was a danger.
And still, he was released.
I am not here for politics. I am here for accountability. I am here because a system failed my daughter.
If not for these failures, I could be sharing a cup of coffee with Stephanie this morning, rather than speaking with you all today.
When policies protect people who are a known threat, innocent lives are put at risk. When warnings are ignored, families like mine pay the price.
This is not just about my Stephanie. This is about every mother.
Every parent. Every child. Every person who waits at a bus stop, walks home, or goes to work, trusting they will be safe.
We cannot ignore this. We cannot look away.
Compassion should never come at the cost of public safety. Care for one group should not mean danger for another.
We can be a community that is both caring and responsible. We can have policies that protect people and also keep our streets safe.
But that means we must act. We must listen when there are warnings. We must take threats seriously. We must make sure that people who are dangerous are not released back into our neighborhoods.
I will carry my daughter’s name for the rest of my life. I will carry her memory. But I should not have to carry this pain because of preventable failure.
Stephanie deserved to come home that day. She deserved to watch her child grow. She deserved more time.
I am asking you, please do not let her story be ignored. Do not let another family stand where I am standing.
Make changes. Take responsibility. Protect your community.
Because no mother should ever have to wake up to this nightmare.
Thank you.”
Watch our previous coverage below:
Fairfax County leaders called to testify before Congress over immigration policies_ How we got here
7News also obtained a copy of Descano’s draft remarks to the committee.
7News also obtained the written testimony from Sean Kennedy ahead of the hearing. Kennedy is a member of the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Advisory Board and president of Virginians for Safe Communities.
“Mr. Descano operates a two-tier justice system: one for criminal aliens subject to deportation and another for American citizens. In the upside-down world of the Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, citizenship confers fewer rights and protections, not more,” the testimony states. “This is not one case. There is a broader pattern in which felony charges against illegal aliens are dropped or downgraded in ways that avoid collateral immigration consequences, often using Crespo plea deals. Many of the violent and sexual predators have benefited from Descano’s policies have gone on to commit heinous offenses including murder, rape, child sex abuse, and malicious wounding. Through public records and media reports I have been able to identify dozens of these offenders including Abdul Jalloh, Juan Rodriguez Alfaro, Denis Humberto Navarette Romero, Wilmer Osmany Ramos Giron, Marvin Moralez-Ortez, and Maldin Anibal Guzman.”
You can read Kennedy’s full written testimony below.
This is a developing story.
