A recent arrest by the Fairfax County Police Department has sparked controversy as the suspect, apprehended in connection with a murder case, was revealed to be an illegal immigrant from Honduras.
This revelation, confirmed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has raised questions about the county's handling of illegal immigrants, particularly those with a history of criminal charges.
According to The Post Millennial, the victim, Nicacio Hernandez Gonzalez, a 47-year-old resident of Fairfax, Virginia, was discovered dead at the 9500 block of Route 29. Three suspects, Maudin Anibal Guzman, 27, Wilmer Adli Guzman, 20, and Wis Alonso Sorto-Portillo, 45, were subsequently arrested in connection with the murder.
ICE disclosed to ABC 7 News that Anibal Guzman, one of the murder suspects, had illegally entered the country and had a history of arrests. Earlier this year, in March, Guzman was arrested and charged with malicious assault among other offenses, but failed to appear in court. On June 28, Guzman was once again apprehended, this time on charges of malicious wounding. Despite multiple immigration detainers issued by ICE, the Fairfax County Sheriffs Office consistently failed to honor them.
Over the past year, the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center has housed 725 "undocumented individuals," as stated by the Fairfax County Sheriffs Office. ABC 7 News reported that of these, only three have been transferred to ICE. A significant number of these inmates have been held for violent or child sex crimes, yet the sheriffs office continues to ignore ICE's immigration detainers, leading to the release of most inmates back into the community.
Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid has publicly stated that she requires a judicial warrant to transfer inmates to ICE, despite the issuance of detainers. This stance starkly contrasts with the procedures of Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman, who honors detainers without a judicial warrant, resulting in the deportation of nearly 100 illegal immigrants from his county over the past two years.
Chapman has been vocal about his approach, stating, We need to make sure that we're not keeping these people in our community that can do further harm. It makes no sense to me to allow these people to stay in the area and then commit another crime if we know for a fact that they're violent and that they're here illegally.
He further explained his offices procedure, saying, When we arrest somebody, we immediately run them to see whether they're here illegally or not. And if in fact they are and we notify ICE, then ICE has to make some determination whether or not it's somebody they want to detain - whether it's somebody they want to come and pick up. We notify ICE as to when that person might appear before a magistrate, when they might appear before a judge and how much time they have to actually get out there and pick them up.
The contrasting approaches of these two counties highlight the ongoing debate over immigration policy and its impact on local communities. The case of Anibal Guzman serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of ignoring immigration detainers, raising questions about the balance between upholding the law and ensuring community safety.
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