A twice-deported immigrant from El Salvador has been charged with rape and abduction in Northern Virginia, prompting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to urge Fairfax County officials to honor an ICE detainer and transfer the suspect into federal custody.
Juan Arevalo Mendez, 46, was arrested on June 30 in Prince William County. The charges stem from an alleged sexual assault that occurred in September 2025 in Fairfax County. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer on the same day as his arrest, requesting that he not be released from local custody.
According to DHS, Mendez first entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1991. His status was revoked after a 1998 conviction for destruction of property, and he was deported in 2003. He was subsequently convicted of illegally reentering the U.S. before being deported again in 2014. DHS states he entered the country illegally a second time at an unconfirmed date and location.
Mendez has a criminal history dating back to 1998, including convictions for assault, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a weapon, aggravated assault with a gun, drug possession, destruction of property, illegal reentry, obstructing justice, and making a false report. DHS also noted prior arrests on allegations of identity theft, drug possession, and larceny.
"This criminal illegal alien has been charged with rape and abduction. He has a laundry list of prior convictions for aggravated assault, destruction of property, and drug possession, as well as prior arrests for identity theft and larceny," stated Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians in Fairfax County to commit to not releasing this dangerous criminal from jail, and to instead turn him over to ICE custody so that we can remove him from our nation and end his crime spree in our country."
The arrest follows a January incident where Fairfax County police attempted to stop a vehicle connected to an outstanding felony abduction warrant. Mendez fled in the vehicle, leading officers on a pursuit before abandoning it and being apprehended in a wooded area. He was charged with obstruction of justice, in addition to facing outstanding warrants for abduction, simple assault, petit larceny, and failure to appear. Prosecutors later dropped the January abduction and assault case after the reporting woman stated she had been untruthful and requested the charges be dismissed. With no third-party witnesses, the case could not proceed, and Mendez was not identified as a suspect in the September incident at that time.
DHS cited several other recent cases in Virginia involving immigrants accused or convicted of violent crimes, suggesting the state has become a "hotbed of illegal alien crime" under Governor Spanberger's administration. These cases include detainers lodged against individuals charged with abduction with intent to defile, indecent exposure, child molestation, carjacking, assault, robbery, and murder.