The most persistent source of illegal alien crime still involves car accidents. Everything from DWIs to driving without a license.

One honest cop, in a dishonest department, in Fairfax County tried to stop the wreckage that has cost countless lives. He cooperated with the federal government.

Now he’s paying the price.

The Fairfax County Police Department didn’t identify the officer in a statement released Tuesday but said the incident occurred on Sept. 21 when an officer was dispatched to a car accident.

The officer discovered one of the drivers didn’t have a Virginia driver’s license and ran a check with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, police said. The check revealed the driver had a violation for failing to appear for a deportation hearing.

The officer verified the warrant and alerted officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

An ICE agent was close by and arrived at the scene. The officer cited the driver for not have a driver’s license and turned them over to the federal agent.

“This is an unfortunate issue where the officer was confused,” Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. said. “We have trained on this issue a lot. This is the first time we’ve had a lapse in judgment, and the officer is being punished.”

To summarize, a police officer in Virginia is being punished for cooperating with federal authorities. Didn’t we already have a civil war over this already?