The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is criticizing officials in Santa Clara County for not honoring immigration detainer requests tied to two Honduran nationals accused of killing a 24-year-old mother earlier this month.
Authorities say Franquin Inestroza-Martinez and Gerzon Jose Chirinos-Munguia were arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Kembery Chirinos-Flores in early January. Investigators allege the victim was killed with a shotgun. Chirinos-Munguia is identified as the father of her 5-year-old son.
According to DHS, both suspects were in the United States unlawfully at the time of the alleged crime. The agency said Chirinos-Munguia had prior arrests in California, including charges in 2018 for battery and false imprisonment and in 2019 for domestic battery and making criminal threats. DHS stated that in both instances he was released from local custody without notification to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
DHS also reported that Inestroza-Martinez had previously been deported twice, in 2013 and 2018, and later reentered the country unlawfully. The agency said he had an outstanding warrant in New Jersey related to a separate homicide case in 2025 at the time of the California incident.
In a statement, DHS officials said the suspects should not have been released from custody and argued that stronger cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration enforcement could have prevented Kembery’s death. The agency specifically pointed to the California Value Act, which limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
Under the law, local agencies are generally restricted from honoring ICE detainer requests in many circumstances and are not required to notify federal officials before releasing individuals from custody. Supporters of the policy argue it helps build trust between immigrant communities and local law enforcement, while critics caution that it hinders federal enforcement efforts.
The Trump administration previously challenged the California Value Act in court during his first term, but the legal effort was unsuccessful. Federal courts upheld the law, and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case in 2020.
Local officials have not publicly responded to DHS’s latest criticism. At a press briefing following the arrests, a Santa Clara public safety official described the victim as a young mother working two jobs and raising her child.
According to reporting from CBS News, the child was not physically harmed in the incident and has since been placed in protective custody.
The case has renewed debate over so-called sanctuary policies and the extent to which local jurisdictions should cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Supporters of increased cooperation argue it is necessary for public safety.
The investigation into the killing remains ongoing, and further legal proceedings are expected as the case moves forward.
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Destroy the weapons completely and back Israel. That waterway’s survival is of no consequence to the USA.
Whatever you decide Mr. President!