Protecting Virginians Means Standing Against Lawlessness

Putting Service Before Talk

I’ve always believed, “You can’t just talk it up, you have to put it up.” That’s why I stepped up and joined the Prince William County Police Department, to protect my family and serve the community I love. For years, I wore the badge and kept the peace. As a narcotics detective, I unraveled the web of violent cartels that infiltrated our communities and poisoned our streets with illicit and dangerous fentanyl. I experienced firsthand the evil that has killed millions of Americans, and the villains who perpetrate it. On October 24, 2025, one of those villains was finally given the justice he deserved.

A Deadly Pattern of Crime and Release

In 2015, Jorge Armando Melendez-Gonzalez, an El Salvadoran national, illegally entered our country. A year later, under the first Trump Administration, an immigration judge ordered his deportation. But thanks to sanctuary politicians, Melendez-Gonzalez was released again and again, eventually making his way to the Commonwealth.

A Trail of Violence Ignored

From 2018 to 2025, Melendez-Gonzalez was arrested 10 times and charged with 19 different crimes. He shot people, assaulted his own family, committed grand larceny, and lied to the police. He was charged with maliciously shooting a firearm – not once, but three times. Twice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued detainers in Fairfax County. And twice, they were ignored, allowing him to walk freely back into our neighborhoods.

Leadership That Took Action

On October 24, he was finally apprehended, thanks to the leadership of President Trump and Governor Glenn Youngkin. Virginia is now safer because of the tireless work of both leaders. But unfortunately, Melendez-Gonzalez was not an outlier. He’s just one example of what happens when politicians put ideology over safety. These sanctuary policies don’t protect anyone. They endanger every family in the Commonwealth.

Holding Leaders to a Higher Standard

The Rough Rider Teddy Roosevelt once said, as leaders, “It behooves us to do our best to see that the standard of the average citizen is kept high; and the average cannot be kept high unless the standard of the leaders is very much higher.” This sentiment still rings true. But, despite the actions that President Trump and Governor Youngkin have taken to protect Virginians from the dangers of sanctuary politics, members of Virginia’s federal delegation have failed to meet the same standard. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, and now Governor-Elect Abigail Spanberger, have pushed the same failed ideology that let Melendez-Gonzalez roam free.

A Troubling Federal Response

Following the 2020 riots after George Floyd’s death, Senators Warner and Kaine cowered to their parties’ mob, co-sponsoring legislation that would severely limit our local police officers’ ability to protect and serve. While both claimed they did not want to defund the police, this legislation was endorsed by Mayors around the country who did just that. This troubling pattern has now seeped into Virginia’s local politics.

A Moment for Accountability

In 2024, Laken Riley was tragically murdered by an individual like Melendez-Gonzalez in Georgia. In response, the 118th U.S. Congress introduced the Laken Riley Act. This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain any illegal alien who was arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assaulting a law enforcement officer, or a crime that causes bodily harm to another person. It should have passed without debate, yet Abigail Spanberger, Fairfax’s Representative Don Beyer, and Tim Kaine voted against it. What’s worse, even after voting for this legislation in the 119th Congress, Mark Warner said he regretted his decision. The Laken Riley Act was signed into law earlier this year, yet when ICE issued detainers for Melendez-Gonzalez, sanctuary politicians in Fairfax County refused to uphold them.

Consequences for Public Safety

But why should local officials respect ICE detainers when their own members of Congress won’t back them up? If you support lawlessness in Washington, you get lawlessness on the streets. Virginians deserve better. They deserve leaders who back the badge, not sanctuary loopholes. Leaders who stand up for the rule of law and fight tooth and nail to protect and serve every Virginian

A Call to Uphold Our Republic

In light of this, we should heed Teddy Roosevelt’s wisdom on how to strengthen and maintain our great Republic. As citizens, we must support leaders who embody the highest moral standards, even in the wake of distressed mobs on their parties’ flanks. It is incumbent upon our U.S. Senators and Representatives to set the standard for all Virginians. When they don’t, it is our duty as citizens to elect leaders who will defend our communities and uphold the sanctity of the Commonwealth.

Bryce Reeves is a former U.S. Army Ranger who served from 1990 to 2002 and now
represents Virginia in the state senate. He was formerly a member of the Prince William County Police Department, serving as a Narcotics Detective.