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Virginia sanctuary policy slammed over criminal illegal immigrants
Virginia’s sanctuary policy is under intense scrutiny following the arrest of Israel Flores Ortiz, an undocumented immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 2024. Ortiz is facing nine charges of assault and battery related to incidents at Fairfax High School. Criticism is mounting against Governor Abigail Spanberger for her decision to rescind an executive order that previously facilitated collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE, sparking debates about the implications for community safety and border enforcement under the Biden administration.
EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: The Department of Homeland Security has sharply criticized the prosecutors in Fairfax County, Virginia, for what they describe as a “preposterous” plea agreement extended to two undocumented immigrants involved in a heinous murder.
According to DHS, Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo, both of whom are in the U.S. without legal authorization, confessed to fatally stabbing a man in a park and walking trail in Oakton, Virginia, in July 2024. A local resident discovered the victim’s body in a wooded area, leading to a police investigation.
Despite the gravity of the crime, DHS has expressed outrage over a plea deal offered to the suspects, which would result in only a five-year prison sentence, potentially allowing “two dangerous individuals” to return to the streets.
A booking photo of Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz. The Department of Homeland Security has criticized the Fairfax County District Attorney’s Office for proposing a plea deal to Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo in connection with a fatal stabbing in 2024. (Department of Homeland Security)
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 this is a “sweetheart plea deal” with murders.
“This 5-year sweetheart plea deal for murder is insane,” 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.
Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo in a booking photo. (Department of Homeland Security)
Sort-Portillo, the second suspect, is a Salvadoran national who entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown time, according to DHS.
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 Gov. 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?”
DHS also criticized Fairfax County’s broader approach to immigration enforcement, claiming the county’s sanctuary policies have contributed to an increase in violent crime.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger responds to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union. (Steve Helber/Reuters)
The agency said 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 3-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.
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