Nine supervisors, no second: Fairfax board's record on the Trust Policy

The House Judiciary Committee's Oct. 20 report puts Fairfax County's Trust Policy alongside the sheriff and the prosecutor as part of what it calls the county's sanctuary system. The Board of Supervisors had a chance to revisit that policy this spring.

On March 17, less than a month after Stephanie Minter was stabbed to death at a Hybla Valley bus stop, Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity, the board's lone Republican, asked staff only to study whether the policy should be amended. According to FFXnow, March 17, 2026, the other nine members, all Democrats, let it die without a second. That included Franconia Supervisor Rodney Lusk, who was listed as a co-sponsor.

"This is not the first time a repeat convicted violent offender has been released into our community and committed additional violent offenses against our residents, and unfortunately, it's not going to be the last time," Herrity said at the meeting, as reported by FFXnow.

Chairman Jeff McKay's response, as reported by FFXnow: "The Trust Policy is not a free pass to commit crimes. ... This is not a failure of the Trust Policy." He credited the policy with the county's status as "the safest jurisdiction of our size in the nation."

The report describes what the policy does. County employees may not share citizenship or immigration status without a warrant, court order or legal mandate. ICE is kept out of county facilities without a criminal judicial warrant, and county police may not help serve administrative immigration warrants. The county denies it is a sanctuary county, the report says.

As of publication, no supervisor has publicly responded to the House report.

RVN has asked Chairman McKay and every supervisor whether they stand by the Trust Policy after the Oct. 20 report.

RVN has asked Descano's office for comment. The report's claims are drawn from records the committee says it holds, which have not been made public.

Source: "Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies," interim staff report of the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, released Oct. 20, 2026. Read the report (PDF).

Email the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors:
Jeffrey C. McKay, chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Kathy L. Smith, sully@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Rachna Sizemore Heizer, braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov,
James N. Bierman Jr., dranesville@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Rodney L. Lusk, franconia@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Walter L. Alcorn, huntermill@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Andres F. Jimenez, mason@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Daniel G. Storck, mtvernon@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Dalia A. Palchik, providence@fairfaxcounty.gov,
Pat Herrity, springfield@fairfaxcounty.gov,

Email Steve Descano at:

Steve Descano: stephen.descano@fairfaxcounty.gov

Fairfax County is a county in Northern Virginia. Its county seat is Fairfax, an independent city.