Bumper stickers once read “Virginia is for lovers,” but not any more. On March 7, Israel Ortiz Flores was arrested in Fairfax County, Va. and charged with sexually groping 12 teen females during school. The defense alleged his incidents were just “pranks” and feds had exploited the case due to his illegal status. The details are not appropriate to describe in this post. Flores, almost 19, was a high school junior from El Salvador admitted to the U.S. in 2024 under Joe Biden’s open border policy (KOMO7 News 4/21/26).
Tennesseans need to look closely at Virginia, Fairfax County and Democrats like Governor Abigail Spanberger who campaigned as a “moderate.” Her website called it “a win for centrism,” but her actions betray her far left sentiments.
Voters might have thought they were voting for a moderate but “they got a hack instead” (Washington Post 4/16/26). Her approval rating has sunk to 47 percent after only 2 months in office (WSJ 4/6/26).
While Republican Glenn Youngkin was governor his VA Crime Task Force arrested 2,500 illegals in 2025, over 1,000 deemed violent, with many in well-known migrant gangs. Democrat Spanburger, on her first day in office, ended agreements between Immigration Enforcement and local police, a reversal of Governor Youngkin’s safety efforts.
In Fairfax County, Israel Flores was sentenced to 360 days, but with time served that’s only 180 days (just 15 days jail time per assault). ICE placed a retainer on Flores, but will it be honored? There have been four murders in that county so far this year. Illegals were accused in three, the fourth was a murder suicide committed by the former Lt. Governor, Democrat Justin Fairfax.
Let’s take a lesson from Virginia - $62 million was spent on a redistricting referendum which a judge just blocked. We must be careful who we elect as governor, to our legislature and especially to our school board (Axios 2/21/26). It seems Virginia has become a destination for criminal illegal aliens and a state which wastes taxes on dangerous social engineering schemes.
Ralph Miller
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Ralph Miller’s latest letter again relies more on political language than careful fact. The Fairfax High School case is real and serious, but he still overstates it. Israel Flores Ortiz was convicted on nine misdemeanor assault and battery counts; three charges ended in acquittal and one was dismissed. He was sentenced to 360 days with credit for time served, with reports indicating about 135 days left to serve - not 180. That sentence was imposed by a judge after prosecution in court, not by Governor Spanberger.
Mr. Miller also uses slogans where facts should be. Calling Biden’s immigration policy an “open border policy” is political rhetoric, not proof. His line that voters “got a hack instead” comes from an opinion column, not a news report. And while Governor Spanberger’s approval rating was reported at 47 percent, her disapproval was 46 percent - that points to a closely divided purple electorate, not some overwhelming rejection. He also exaggerates her immigration actions. What Governor Spanberger actually did was rescind Governor Youngkin’s mandate directing state and local resources toward federal civil immigration enforcement. That is not the same as ending all cooperation with ICE. She has said plainly that Virginia is “not a sanctuary state.” His biggest stretch is using a handful of Fairfax County cases to claim Virginia has become “a destination for criminal illegal aliens.” A few county cases do not prove a statewide trend, and he offers no statewide statistic that supports that claim.
It is also rich that Mr. Miller calls redistricting efforts in Virginia a “dangerous social engineering scheme” when many states redraw districts through legislative action with no direct vote by citizens at all. The Brennan Center says state legislatures draw congressional districts in 31 states, and Texas Republicans openly pushed new maps in 2025 to improve their advantage. Whatever one thinks of Virginia’s referendum, partisan redistricting is hardly some new or uniquely Democratic idea.
Public debate matters, but it is better served by proportion and evidence than by fear-based generalizations and political rhetoric.
Robert Block