Soros-backed prosecutor set for Capitol Hill grilling as sanctuary policies face reckoning

Steve Descano, the George Soros-backed prosecutor in Fairfax County, Virginia, will make his first Capitol Hill appearance next month as House Republicans press him on the county’s immigration policies following a murder tied to a repeat illegal immigrant offender.

​​Descano and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid are set to appear May 14 before the House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee, according to letters provided to Fox News Digital confirming their participation. The hearing, titled "Fairfax County, Virginia: The Dangerous Consequences of Sanctuary Policies," will examine whether the county’s policy limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities threatens public safety.

The hearing will put new federal scrutiny on Descano and Fairfax County’s limits on cooperation with immigration authorities as Republicans argue the county’s policies and prosecutorial decisions helped allow accused killer Abdul Jalloh — whom the Department of Homeland Security says had been arrested 30 times — to remain free before Stephanie Minter’s fatal stabbing.

Minter's case spurred the federal oversight and calls for legislative reforms, and Minter's family is now also backing a recall effort against Descano that could threaten his tenure, according to local reporting.

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Descano has previously testified in state-level legislative hearings, including before the Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee, but the May 14 hearing would mark his first known appearance before a congressional committee.

"CA Descano is looking forward to the opportunity to discuss Fairfax's record as one of the safest large jurisdictions in the country," Descano's office told Fox News Digital on Monday when asked about his upcoming testimony. 

Upon first announcing the hearing in April, prior to the committee confirming Descano's attendance and a finalized date, Republican leaders said Descano’s testimony would help inform possible reforms targeting sanctuary jurisdictions.

The scrutiny was driven largely by the murder of Minter, a Fredericksburg mother who was stabbed to death at a Fairfax County bus stop earlier this year. Jalloh, her alleged killer and a Sierra Leone national, is an illegal immigrant with a lengthy criminal history whose prior encounters with law enforcement had raised concerns. 

Fairfax County police had previously warned Descano’s office multiple times, including last year, about Jalloh’s potential for violence, including one officer who cautioned in an email that it was "not a question of if, but rather when he will maliciously wound (or worse) again."

Despite those warnings, prosecutors dropped multiple charges against Jalloh, allowing him to remain free. DHS authorities said Jalloh had been arrested 30 times, including for violent offenses, before targeting Minter.

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Descano has also faced criticism for his broader posture on immigration after campaigning on what he said was a two-tiered justice system that disadvantaged noncitizens, who could also see deportation as a consequence for their crimes.

Descano, for his part, has received more than $600,000 in campaign support from the Justice and Public Safety PAC, a committee primarily funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros that supports progressive prosecutors, according to public records.

DHS and House Republicans have also pointed to Fairfax County plea deals involving noncitizens, including a high-profile 2024 murder case where two defendants received five-year sentences, which they linked to Descano's avoidance of immigration-related outcomes.

Kincaid, who will also testify, has drawn separate scrutiny for declining to honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers and instead requiring judicial warrants before transferring inmates to federal custody once they leave local jails, a policy federal officials have said conflicts with how ICE operates.