Federal immigration officials are pressing Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration to keep an illegal immigrant charged with murder in state custody after a stabbing in Staunton left one woman dead and another wounded.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE has asked Spanberger and other state officials not to release Freddi Chigo Mil, a Mexican national, following his arrest in connection with the stabbing of two women on the streets of Staunton. Police who responded to the scene found Mil there along with the two victims; one woman was pronounced dead, and the other was taken to a local hospital.
Middle River Regional Jail records show Mil has been charged with second-degree murder and aggravated malicious wounding causing permanent impairment.
On the same day, ICE arrested Salvadoran national Yinmi Molina-Zepeda in Woodbridge, Virginia. Officials say he is wanted in El Salvador on charges including aggravated homicide.
Federal Officials Renew Sanctuary-Policy Criticism
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin cited the two cases as evidence of what he called the consequences of Virginia’s approach to immigration enforcement.
“This is what the Commonwealth of Virginia has become under the sanctuary policies of Gov. Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians,” Mullin said.
Regarding Mil specifically, Mullin said, “this illegal alien from Mexico has been charged with murder after a stabbing spree that killed one woman and injured another.”
He said ICE had “lodged a detainer asking Gov. Spanberger to cooperate with us and commit to not releasing this criminal from jail, so that he can be removed from our country once he faces justice,” adding, “It’s time to put an end to these preventable tragedies. Deporting illegal aliens saves lives.”
Advocacy Groups Weigh In
Jennifer Harrison, executive director of the Victims’ Rights Reform Council, said “everything is out of control in these upside-down jurisdictions run by politicians like Spanberger who call themselves ‘moderate Democrats’ while implementing policies that put criminals ahead of victims and public safety.”
“How much blood has to be spilled in our streets before elected officials wake up and change course?” Harrison asked. “We have reached a point where the federal government has to ask state and local officials not to release dangerous illegal immigrants back into American communities. Think about how insane that is.”
Sean Kennedy, president of Virginians for Safe Communities, was similarly critical. “Spanberger’s actions are not pro-immigrant. They are pro-criminal,” Kennedy said, arguing that “by shielding dangerous offenders from removal precisely because they are foreign nationals, she is loosing predators onto our streets.”
Kennedy also said the people harmed by such crimes are “overwhelmingly” other immigrants, “the ones she claims to be helping.”
State’s Response
DHS pointed to 22 cases of violent crime involving illegal immigrants in Virginia so far this year, with charges ranging from child pornography and sex offenses against children to murder, rape, abduction and aggravated sexual battery.
A spokesperson for Spanberger’s office told Fox News Digital that the governor “strongly believes violent criminals who are in the United States illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and deported.”
The spokesperson said that “under Gov. Spanberger’s leadership, the Virginia Department of Corrections continues the long-standing practice of notifying ICE when individuals born outside of the United States are in state custody,” and that “Virginia state law enforcement agencies also continue to participate in task forces and interagency cooperation with federal agencies.”
The spokesperson added that Spanberger, “as a former federal law enforcement officer who went after child predators,” will “always prioritize the safety and well-being of Virginia families.”
Middle River Regional Jail has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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