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President Donald Trump’s Department of Education has launched “yet another investigation” into Fairfax County, Virginia, after police say that an adult illegal immigrant student allegedly groped a dozen minor girls at a high school he attended.
The Education Department announced Monday that it is opening the investigation following reports “from 12 high school girls who have credibly accused one male student — an illegal immigrant — of sexual assault.”
This comes after outraged Fairfax County parents expressed disgust, frustration and fear about Fairfax County High School’s handling of complaints alleging that 19-year-old illegal alien Israel Flores Ortiz groped several girls from behind on school grounds.
According to the department, this is the latest in a “long list of investigations” it has opened into schools in deep blue Northern Virginia.
A photo of the Fairfax High School campus in Fairfax, Virginia, from March 15, 2022. (L) A mugshot of Israel Flores Ortiz, accused of groping girls at Fairfax High School, taken in March 2025. (John M. Chase/Getty Images; Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office)
Flores Ortiz, 18, is facing 13 counts of assault and battery for allegedly inappropriately touching female classmates at a Fairfax County school.
Fairfax police were alerted on March 5 by Fairfax High School about reports of multiple assaults on campus. An arrest warrant was issued, and Flores Ortiz turned himself in on March 7. He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Flores Ortiz is an illegal immigrant from El Salvador who was released into the U.S. under the Biden administration in 2024. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said a detainer has been filed for him by federal authorities and that he could face removal from the country.
Parent Stacy Langton told Fox News Digital last week that “it’s terrifying as a parent, because when I send my daughters to school, I think they’re safe in the care of the school.”
“And in this case, they absolutely were not safe, and I don’t know what parent wouldn’t be completely distraught at the idea that their daughters could be getting sexually battered while they’re changing classes,” said Langton.
A spokesperson for Fairfax County Public Schools confirmed the investigation, telling Fox News Digital that it “received the complaint yesterday and is reviewing it.”
The spokesperson said that the school system is “prepared to fully cooperate with the U.S. Department of Education’s inquiry.”
“We are grateful to our law enforcement partners and are continuing to work closely with them as their investigation into this matter moves forward,” the spokesperson said, adding, “to maintain the integrity of the ongoing investigation, we cannot share additional details at this point.”
They said that “in addition to the law enforcement investigation, Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid has requested that FCPS retain an independent outside law firm to conduct a comprehensive review of this matter.”
The spokesperson shared that the firm McGuireWoods “will conduct this thorough, objective, and independent review.”
“The goal is clear: to establish a definitive understanding of what occurred, when it occurred, and confirm that all policies, procedures, and regulations were properly followed,” the spokesperson said, adding, “The safety of our students and staff remains a top priority.”
The system previously released a statement saying that it prioritizes the safety of students and staff.
“While Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is unable to comment on specifics due to federal and state privacy laws, we prioritize student and staff safety, and we fully investigate any time someone shares that an incident has occurred at school, or that they do not feel safe at school,” the district said at the time.
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Education Secretary Linda McMahon testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In addition to the Fairfax County incidents, the Department of Education said it is investigating several other incidents in Northern Virginia schools involving female students filing complaints about inappropriate conduct in female-only spaces by men allowed in under gender identity policies.
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The department said that “Virginia’s experiment with radical gender ideology, race-based admissions systems, far-Left indoctrination, and unlawful discrimination has inflicted immeasurable harm on our students,” adding, “It must stop.”
Fox News Digital’s Landon Mion and Taylor Penley contributed to this report.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.