Federal authorities lodged an immigration detainer on the 19-year-old charged with killing Reston mother Carmen Lizet Puch and formally asked Gov. Abigail Spanberger to ensure he stays behind bars.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement filed the detainer for Alexis Antonio Cedillos-Campos with the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday, Aug. 19, the same day Fairfax County police announced his arrest, according to a DHS press release issued Thursday, Aug. 20. The detainer asks local officials to hold Cedillos-Campos for ICE if he becomes eligible for release from county custody.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called on Spanberger and Fairfax County officials to cooperate with ICE, blaming immigration policies under former President Joe Biden's administration for Cedillos-Campos' presence in the country. DHS said Cedillos-Campos, a native of El Salvador, entered the United States through Texas in April 2024, was taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and subsequently released.

DHS did not indicate Cedillos-Campos is scheduled for release. He faces a second-degree murder charge and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. He remained at the Prince George's County jail awaiting extradition to Fairfax County as of Aug. 20.

Spanberger, police respond

A spokesperson for Spanberger told WUSA9 that the governor "strongly believes violent criminals who are in the United States illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and deported" and will "always prioritize the safety and well-being of Virginia families."

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis drew a line between his department's work and immigration enforcement. "There are other federal law enforcement agencies that are tasked with immigration enforcement just like the Fairfax County Police Department is tasked with investigating murders," Davis said.

The DHS release also criticized executive orders Spanberger signed early in her term, which DHS characterized as prohibiting state cooperation with ICE and ending local immigration enforcement agreements under Section 287(g). The release cited 20 other Virginia criminal cases involving people DHS said were in the country illegally, including pending charges, convictions and ICE arrests from February through July.

Sheriff's role in custody

If Cedillos-Campos is extradited to Fairfax County, he would be held at the Adult Detention Center under the authority of Sheriff Stacey Kincaid's office. Kincaid had not commented publicly on this case as of Aug. 20.

In a separate, earlier ICE detainer case, Kincaid told Patch her office notifies ICE whenever an undocumented person is booked into the county jail and that ICE is responsible for taking custody once a judge orders release. Kincaid testified before a House Judiciary subcommittee in May that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that federal agents may take custody by obtaining a judicial warrant or coordinating a transfer with her office.

DHS did not say in its Thursday release whether ICE had obtained a judicial warrant for Cedillos-Campos. The Sheriff's Office distinguishes between civil immigration detainer requests and judicial orders.

The case

Puch, 42, was found dead the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 18, in the parking lot of Difficult Run Park in the 8800 block of Georgetown Pike in Great Falls. A runner discovered her near her Honda Civic and called 911 at approximately 6:43 a.m. Police said she was stabbed multiple times while sitting in the vehicle, and the suspect then poured gasoline on her and tried unsuccessfully to set her on fire.

As we reported Aug. 20, Cedillos-Campos was apprehended in Lanham, Maryland, within 48 hours and gave what Davis described as "a full confession." Police said the two worked together at Bitez, a restaurant in Herndon, and had been in an intimate relationship.

Puch was the mother of a young daughter. Family members traveled from outside Virginia to care for the child.

Anyone with information about this case can contact Fairfax County Police at 703-246-7800. No extradition hearing date has been publicly confirmed.