Three of nine men arrested in a Fairfax County, Virginia, child-exploitation sting were identified by the Department of Homeland Security as being in the US unlawfully and have since been released on secured bonds. Police allege that the suspects arranged online sexual encounters with people they believed were minors, who were in fact undercover detectives; the case has prompted criticism over immigration enforcement and local cooperation with ICE.

DHS identified the men as Reyben Leono Sanchez Hernandez, Wilmer Alexander Aguilar Cruz and Henry Adalberto Flores Herrera, all of whom it said had previous criminal histories and had been subject to ICE detainers. Fairfax County police said Sanchez Hernandez and Aguilar Cruz were released on $3,000 secured bonds, while Flores Herrera was released on a $5,000 secured bond; DHS blamed past federal immigration policies and Fairfax County’s approach, though these claims were political assertions by the department.