Northern Virginia Democrats are facing scrutiny following the escape of Abdulloi Toshpulodzoda, a Tajik national who had been committed to a psychiatric facility after being found not guilty by reason of insanity for his landlord's killing. Toshpulodzoda was allowed supervised excursions from the mental health facility in Falls Church, Virginia, including one to obtain a passport and another to visit an apartment, before fleeing to Tajikistan.
"There's a failure in the system somewhere along the way," Rep. Donald Beyer, D-Va., told Fox News Digital. "I don't know whether it's failure to put [Toshpulodzoda] in the mental hospital or the hospital didn't have the right security to keep them there. But no, we don't want bad guys on the loose."
Beyer, whose district includes Alexandria and part of Fairfax County, where the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute is located, pushed back against the notion that Fairfax County is a sanctuary jurisdiction for undocumented immigrants. He also indicated he presumed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano acted appropriately in committing Toshpulodzoda to the psychiatric facility.
Beyer further argued against the idea that Toshpulodzoda should have been deported rather than committed, stating that individuals who commit serious crimes should face consequences in the U.S. before any potential deportation.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, who represents neighboring Loudoun and Fauquier counties, echoed calls for accountability, asserting that U.S. laws apply to those who commit murder and violent crimes. "I've been pretty consistent that if someone's undocumented and they committed a crime, that they should be held accountable for the crime and we should look into whether they should be deported at that point," Subramanyam stated.
He emphasized that while not every undocumented immigrant who commits a crime should be automatically deported, violent offenses warrant holding individuals accountable. Subramanyam also called for accountability for law enforcement agents, stating that "if an ICE officer does the wrong thing that they're held accountable and there's not a cover up for them."
Laura Birnbaum, a spokesperson for Commonwealth's Attorney Steve Descano, confirmed that the office did not object to Toshpulodzoda's escorted visit to the Tajik embassy in 2024. However, she noted that the office has successfully opposed Toshpulodzoda's outright release in multiple court proceedings.
Toshpulodzoda had been held at the facility after being found not guilty by reason of insanity in connection with his landlord's killing. He reportedly obtained an airline ticket to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, during his visit to an Alexandria apartment. The Tajik embassy was contacted for comment.