Virginia: Illegal immigrant with more than 30 prior arrests charged with murdering woman at bus stop
The incident occurs in a political context marked by recent changes in state immigration policy. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger recently rescinded an executive order instructing state law enforcement to cooperate with ICE.
A Department of Homeland Security agent. File image.
An undocumented immigrant with more than 30 prior arrests faces charges in the murder of a woman last week at a bus stop in Virginia. The case has generated strong criticism of state and local Democratic officials for their immigration and public safety policies.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed a detainer requesting Virginia authorities not to release the suspect, Abdul Jalloh, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Saturday.
Case details
According to authorities, the Fairfax County Police Department charged Jalloh, originally from Sierra Leone, with fatally stabbing Stephanie Minter, 41, a Fredericksburg resident, while at a bus stop.
A local merchant identified the suspect Tuesday and alerted police to his location. Jalloh was subsequently arrested and formally charged with murder, plus petty theft for an additional offense that occurred the same day, according to the DHS news release.
The federal department indicated that Jalloh illegally entered the United States in 2012.
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Criminal history
- Rape
- Malicious wounding
- Assault
- Drug possession
- Identity theft
- Burglary
- Larceny
- Discharging a firearm
- Contribution to the delinquency of a minor
- Pickpocketing
ICE had already issued a arrest warrant for Jalloh in 2020. Subsequently, a judge granted him a final deportation order authorizing his removal to any country except Sierra Leone.
DHS noted that the case underscores the relevance of third-country deportations as a mechanism for removing undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
Political reactions to high crime events
The group Virginians 4 Safe Communities published a social media post criticizing Fairfax County District Attorney Steve Descano, whom it accused of dropping charges against Jalloh on previous occasions.
Descano, who is affiliated with the Democratic Party, has also been the subject of controversy over other high-profile cases. In January, Breitbart News reported that the prosecutor was seeking a not guilty plea in the case of a man accused of violently murdering another while he slept next to his wife.
Also, the event occurs in a political context marked by recent changes in state immigration policy. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger recently repealed an executive order instructing state law enforcement to cooperate with ICE.
That order had been signed in February 2025 by then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who directed the Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to enter into Section 287(g) agreements with ICE to strengthen cooperation on immigration matters.
During the Democratic Party's official response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, Spanberger referred to undocumented immigrants as "wannabe Americans," according to cited reports.
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Commenting on the Jalloh case, DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated:
"We are calling on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Virginia's sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this murderer and violent career criminal from their jail without notifying ICE."
Bis added that the crime occurred less than 24 hours before the governor publicly criticized ICE, and argued that the case demonstrates the importance of cooperation between local jurisdictions and federal immigration authorities for public safety.
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