The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the United States has accused politicians in Santa Clara County in Northern California of harboring two illegal immigrants, allowing them to allegedly murder a 24-year-old young mother.
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, Santa Clara County’s implementation of a “sanctuary county” policy, which refuses to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, led to the tragic incident.
The murder took place in Sunnyvale, located in Silicon Valley. On the evening of January 7th, a shooting was reported. Law enforcement officers arrived at the scene to find the 24-year-old single mother, Kembery Chirinos-Flores, lying in the car, fatally shot multiple times, leaving behind a 5-year-old son.
After nearly two months of investigation, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety announced the arrest of two adult males – suspects Alfonso Inestroza-Martinez and Gerzon Chirinos-Munguia. Police also recovered a shotgun believed to be the murder weapon.
Additionally, suspect Alfonso Inestroza-Martinez is wanted for another murder case, with an outstanding warrant from New Jersey.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that both suspects in the shooting are illegal immigrants from Honduras. Below are their previous illegal entry records.
On June 12, 2013, Alfonso Inestroza-Martinez was intercepted while attempting to illegally enter the United States and was deported. On February 1, 2018, he was arrested for another illegal entry attempt and was deported for the second time, which constitutes a felony. Eventually, he successfully reentered the U.S. on his third attempt.
The other suspect, Gerzon Chirinos-Munguia, was caught trying to illegally enter the U.S. on May 18, 2015, and was deported. Subsequently, he reentered illegally and remained in the U.S. unlawfully.
It was revealed by the Department of Homeland Security that Gerzon Chirinos-Munguia has a 5-year-old son with the victim of the shooting. In April 2018, he was arrested for assault and unlawful confinement. On September 20, 2019, he was again arrested in Santa Clara County for charges including domestic violence and attempted intimidation.
After Gerzon Chirinos-Munguia’s arrest, ICE issued an Arrest Detainer, requesting that the local government not release him. However, local politicians not only failed to notify ICE but also released him from the jail.
The so-called “Arrest Detainer” requests that jails not release criminal suspects until ICE is notified.
Assistant Acting Secretary Lauren Bis of the Department of Homeland Security stated, “A young life was lost, a child lost his mother. These illegal immigrants should never have had the opportunity to commit such heinous crimes, and once in custody, they should never be released back into the community.”
Efforts to obtain comments from the Chair and Vice Chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors regarding the case were unsuccessful at the time of writing.
However, the county has long adhered to its sanctuary policy. Since 2011, the county’s policy has prohibited the use of local resources or personnel for ICE cooperation, emphasizing that they will not assist the federal government in immigration enforcement.