Virginia sanctuary policy slammed over criminal illegal immigrants
Virginia’s sanctuary policy faces fierce backlash after illegal immigrant Israel Flores Ortiz, who entered the U.S. in 2024, is charged with 9 counts of assault and battery for groping students at Fairfax High School. Governor Abigail Spanberger is under fire for rolling back an executive order that allowed law enforcement cooperation with ICE, raising concerns about community safety and border policies under the Biden administration.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security is blasting Fairfax County, Virginia prosecutors for offering what it calls an “insane” plea deal to two illegal immigrants who admitted to a brutal murder.
DHS says Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo — who are both in the U.S. illegally — stabbed a man to death at a park and walking trail in Oakton, Virginia, in July 2024. The victim’s body was later discovered by a community member in a wooded area, prompting a police response.
Despite the severity of the crime, DHS said the two suspects have been offered a plea deal that would result in just five years in prison and the eventual release of “two monsters” back on American streets.
Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz in a booking photo. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) condemned the Fairfax County District Attorney’s Office for offering two convicted illegal alien murderers, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, a plea deal after the two stabbed a man to death in Fairfax County in 2024. (The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS))
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, ACCOMPLICE GET 5 YEARS FOR MURDER IN SWEETHEART DEAL WITH PROGRESSIVE VIRGINIA DA
The two men pleaded guilty to second-degree murder by mob and were sentenced to 25 years, with 20 years suspended, leaving five years to serve, Fox News has learned. A judge accepted the plea agreements.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said that this is a “sweetheart plea deal” with murders.
“This 5-year sweetheart plea deal for murder is insane,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “This is yet another example of Fairfax sanctuary politicians siding with criminal illegal aliens over U.S. citizens.”
Federal immigration authorities say they have repeatedly asked Fairfax officials not to release Guzman-Videz from custody in the past, but those requests were ignored.
ICE has requested that both men not be released back into the community, as DHS calls on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and local leaders to ensure they remain behind bars. (Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
According to DHS, Guzman-Videz, a Honduran national, was issued a final order of removal in 2019 but remained in the United States. He later accumulated multiple arrests, including for assault, malicious wounding, larceny, obstruction of justice, and failure to appear.
According to the Fairfax County Times, he also allegedly robbed a restaurant and allegedly attacked someone with a knife.
FOLLOW US ON X
Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo in a booking photo. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) condemned the Fairfax County District Attorney’s Office for offering two convicted illegal alien murderers, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, a plea deal after the two stabbed a man to death in Fairfax County in 2024. (The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS))
GOT A TIP?
Sort-Portillo, the second suspect, is a Salvadoran national who entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time, according to DHS.
GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL
ICE has now requested that both men not be released back into the community, as DHS calls on Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and local leaders to ensure they remain behind bars.
“We are calling on Fairfax County sanctuary politicians and Governor Spanberger to commit to not releasing these murderers from jail back into our communities,” Bis said. “How many more times must they release criminals into our neighborhoods to create more innocent victims?”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE US NEWS
DHS also criticized Fairfax County’s broader approach to immigration enforcement, claiming the county’s sanctuary policies have contributed to an increase of violent crime.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger responds to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. (Steve Helber/Reuters)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The agency said that illegal immigrants have been responsible for 75% of murders in the county so far in 2026, though that figure has not been independently verified.
The department pointed to several recent cases involving illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes, including the killing of a three-month-old child, a fatal stabbing inside a home, and the murder of a mother at a Virginia bus stop. ICE says it has lodged detainers in each case.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.