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Traffic stops and searches of Latino motorists in Loudoun County, Virginia, have the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2024, sparking complaints from activists and some residents. The Sheriff鈥檚 Office asserts that deputies are simply patrolling more vigorously where serious crimes, historically, have occurred in the county.
鈥淲e are not stopping vehicles nor doing searches on the basis of ethnicity,鈥� Tom Julia, spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff鈥檚 Office, said flatly, rejecting allegations of racial profiling. 鈥淲e completely disagree that it鈥檚 targeting of any group.鈥�
Julia made convincing arguments.
It鈥檚 understandable that concerns have arisen, however, because of well-known, boisterous attacks against illegal immigration and its impacts nationwide. The elected Republican has frequently testified before congressional committees on the subject, often invited because of his leadership role in the.
That means you can鈥檛 consider his law-enforcement initiatives in Loudoun in a vacuum.
鈥淥ver the past four years, the United States has seen an unmitigated flow of undocumented and criminal aliens enter this country with many localities throughout the United States encouraging their sanctuary despite minimal, if not a total lack of proper vetting,鈥� he testified in December.
That was just a month after Donald Trump, who has demagogued the issue repeatedly 鈥� 鈥� was elected a second time to the presidency.
A new from the Center for Migration Studies found that there were 12.2 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. in 2023, using the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data available.
About a year ago, Chapman noted hyperbolically on his 聽 account: 鈥淲e are all border states now, and the failure of this (Biden) Administration to slow the influx of undocumented immigrants has put all of us at risk.鈥� He鈥檇 just testified at a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing.
This is the backdrop in which the traffic stops in Loudoun are playing out. With 443,000 people, it鈥檚 one of Virginia鈥檚 largest localities. The stops have gained attention following the release of department statistics to the Board of Supervisors there. recently reported on the issue.
, deputies stopped white motorists 3,343 times and Latino motorists 1,194 times. White residents comprise 51% of the population, and Latinos about 14%, according to census figures.
The numbers of stops by deputies were up noticeably for both races from the same period in 2024 鈥� especially for whites. (Of course, not all motorists stopped by deputies were county residents.)
More striking, though, is the number of searches for these subgroups: Deputies searched whites 31 times in the first three months of 2025, compared to 90 for Latinos. The numbers for the same period last year were 13 and 15, respectively.
Activists and residents have decried the disproportionate number of searches affecting Latinos and questioned whether they鈥檙e being singled out 鈥� possibly for undue suspicion of being undocumented immigrants.
鈥淓ven though white and Hispanic residents are getting ticketed at traffic stops at about the same rate, Hispanic residents are eight times more likely to have their vehicle searched than white residents. This is clear racial profiling,鈥� Sarah Pace said at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting.
鈥淲hen 14% of the population accounts for 55% of all traffic stop searches, this isn鈥檛 about crime prevention. It鈥檚 blatant targeting of an already vulnerable and hard-working community,鈥� Heather Gottlieb, a New Virginia Majority member, said. The organization focuses on working-class communities of color across the state.
I interviewed Sofia Saiyed, campaign director for the group鈥檚 Loudoun and western Fairfax chapter. She told me organization members say there鈥檚 a significantly heavier presence of deputies in the community, moreso than before.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also in an environment in which the presidential administration is making anti-immigrant statements and deportation stunts,鈥� Saiyed said. 鈥淭he concern that we have is that Sheriff Chapman has been very public and vocal about his alignment with Trump鈥檚 anti-immigration agenda.鈥�
As several nonprofit officials pointed out, Gov. Glenn Youngkin also signed in February deputizing the Virginia State Police to help identify and arrest criminal undocumented immigrants 鈥渨ho pose a risk to public safety.鈥�
That brings me back to Julia, the Sheriff鈥檚 Office spokesman.
He said deputies are stopping people for cause and there鈥檚 a nexus between proactive traffic enforcement, arrests and reducing the number of crimes. Julia noted the Sterling area in eastern Loudoun County has had the highest percentage of crimes for decades. Major crimes also occur there. The Sheriff鈥檚 Office, he said, is using data-driven analytics to fight the offenses.
As the department noted in a recent news release, the Eastern Loudoun Station area has 鈥渁 significantly higher Latino population than in other parts of the county.鈥�
If you patrol heavily in areas where many crimes have been reported, you鈥檙e bound to make more traffic stops and arrests.
The situation is complex. Is it profiling? Or simply smart police work? A combination?
Questions of whether the stepped-up enforcement program is targeting Latinos unfairly 鈥� alienating residents in the process 鈥� are bound to continue. Given his posture on immigration, the sheriff should鈥檝e expected the heightened scrutiny and should now listen to his community鈥檚 concerns.
