Henrico officials warn residents about ICE agents spotted in Short Pump, West End

Henrico residents in the Three Chopt District have reported sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the area, according to Three Chopt District supervisor Misty Roundtree.

Residents in Western Henrico spotted ICE agents gathered in the parking lot of the Short Pump Town Center and saw trucks driving down West Broad Street, as well as a vehicle on Parham Road during late morning on Friday, said Roundtree. ICE activity also was spotted along Mayland Drive near J.R. Tucker High School, according to a social media post by the Henrico Democratic Party.

Henrico Police does not have a memorandum of understanding or any other type of collaboration with ICE, Henrico Police Chief Eric English said earlier this week. HPD will not be assisting ICE in any of its operations, English said.

“We are aware that ICE can come into any county, but we have not been asked by ICE to assist them in anything that they’ve done,” English said at a Henrico Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday. “There’s been no [ICE] coordination with HPD.”

Western Henrico residents still may see a Henrico Police presence in the area, but residents should keep in mind that local police are not working with ICE agents, Roundtree said in a video posted to social media.

“We’re going to have our Henrico Police out there, as we always do, and they are not your enemy in this,” she said. “Henrico Police is focused on keeping our residents safe from everybody — and whatever threat that they pose.”

Roundtree said that Henrico Police are not looking to disrupt ICE activity, but will “not turn a blind eye” if any individuals engage in “unlawful” behavior. 

“I think it’s fair to say that [Henrico Police] are not inviting any face-offs with federal agents, but they will also not turn a blind eye to residents being unlawfully assaulted,” she said. “Folks can call them if they are witnessing or experiencing violence against them or others.”

Roundtree also said that ICE officials are not in the practice of communicating with Henrico Police about their whereabouts or operations. 

“HPD likely won’t know when or where ICE is going to be operating at in the county,” she says. “That translates not only to HPD being limited in being able to proactively minimize chaos, but also to invite confusion and even intentional bad actors who may be out here wreaking havoc while pretending to be federal agents.”

The Three Chopt District, specifically the Short Pump area, has a diverse population including immigrants from many different countries, Roundtree said. More than 26% of people in the Short Pump area are Asian or Asian-American. Henrico County has the fifth-largest Asian-American population in the state, with almost three-fourths of that population being foreign born, according to research conducted by the Hamkae Center.

“[Short Pump is] home to perhaps the largest immigrant population in the county,” Roundtree said. “And as we know, ICE doesn’t particularly care about the details — they don’t necessarily care about what country someone is from, whether they own a home or a business here. . . they just are looking to see who doesn’t look like they were born here, doesn’t look like they have the right skin tone. . . everybody is in jeopardy.”

Henrico County has not seen a lot of ICE activity over the past year, English said on Tuesday, although HPD has received reports of ICE making traffic stops.

“We are aware that there have been some incidents in Henrico where people have been stopped [by ICE] on traffic stops, been removed, things of that nature,” English said. 

This past August, ICE agents arrested 19-year-old Tucker High student Arman Momand at a Henrico courthouse and placed him at the Farmville Detention Center for two months after he pled guilty to two misdemeanors. Momand, who came to the United States from Afghanistan on a special visa with his family in 2021, was released on Oct. 15.

Roundtree encouraged residents to “be vigilant” when interacting with ICE agents. She also told residents to remember that ICE can only enter a property when agents have a judicial warrant.

“We need to be vigilant and to be aware and to make sure that we’ve got our phones handy so that if we see behavior that is illegal, criminal, dangerous, what have you, that we are able to make documentation of it,” she said.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.