Alexandria police investigate anti-immigrant graffiti on Mount Jefferson Park trail
Investigators are reviewing footage and witness photos after spray-painted messages appeared near Clifford Avenue days before the general election.
By Giulia Marshall ·
Alexandria police are treating the discovery of anti-immigrant spray paint along the Mount Jefferson Park pathway as a bias incident. The vandalism was found at multiple spots on the trail situated on Clifford Avenue.
Investigators determined the graffiti was applied between 11 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Saturday. The messages included the acronym ICE and the phrase REPORT TO DEPORT. The agency's hotline telephone number was painted directly beneath the text.
Police obtained a search warrant and released an image of a possible suspect. Officers are currently reviewing photographs provided by eyewitnesses that may show the same individual.
Jenn Walker, a neighborhood resident, described the late-night timing as a deliberate effort to cause fear. Walker stated that the perpetrator likely knew the act was wrong by choosing to work in the dark. Kristine Styry, another neighbor, characterized the incident as a scare tactic intended to influence voting behavior in a predominantly liberal area.
The Alexandria Police Chief condemned the act, noting that incidents designed to intimidate community members have no place in the city. This event follows a similar display two weeks prior when residents found flyers bearing the Department of Homeland Security seal on their vehicles. Those flyers urged people to report potential immigration and voting law violations.
The Department of Homeland Security issued a written statement addressing both the graffiti and the earlier flyers. The agency stated that vandalism is a crime and that being in the country illegally is also a crime. DHS encouraged patriotic Americans to help its law enforcement uphold immigration laws.
Alexandria police continue to prepare for the upcoming election. Officials affirmed that officers will uphold the Constitution while clarifying that policing polling locations is not the department's role. Authorities have asked anyone with information about the suspect to contact the police department.
