Donald Trump’s administration just dropped a bombshell that has California officials scrambling.
The Justice Department is stepping in where California refused to act.
And Trump’s ICE chief stunned California with this bold move after Fox News exposed an illegal immigrant’s early release.
Trump administration files federal charges to keep illegal immigrant behind bars
The Department of Justice is taking extraordinary steps after learning California plans to release an illegal immigrant convicted of killing two teenagers less than halfway through his sentence.
Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a horrific drunk driving crash that killed two 19-year-old victims in 2021. The illegal immigrant was driving drunk, high, and speeding at nearly 100 mph when he slammed into the victims’ car on the 405 freeway in Orange County, causing them to burn alive.
But Fox News revealed Wednesday that California will release Ortega-Anguiano on July 19 after serving just 3.5 years of his 10-year sentence – news that was callously delivered to the victims’ families on Easter Sunday.
Bill Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California, immediately responded by filing federal immigration charges against Ortega-Anguiano.
“My office has filed a felony immigration charge against this defendant. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted for 8 USC 1326. If the State of California will not seek the full measure of justice against this individual, the [DOJ] will,” Essayli posted on X.
Attorney General Pam Bondi was equally outraged by California’s decision.
“This is absolutely unconscionable. What about Justice for these teens? What about the rights of their parents? [The DOJ] will work with ICE to make sure this illegal alien receives full punishment for his crimes,” Bondi wrote.
Border czar Tom Homan guarantees federal action
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has already issued a detainer for Ortega-Anguiano’s arrest following his scheduled release, but California’s sanctuary state policies raised questions about whether state officials would honor the federal request.
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, delivered a crystal-clear message about what will happen if California tries to block federal authorities.
“I will work with [Homeland Security] Secretary Noem on this case, and I guarantee you, if they don’t honor the detainer, we’ll have ICE agents outside that facility to take custody of this individual and deport him,” Homan stated Wednesday on Fox News’ America’s Newsroom.
This case highlights the stark contrast between California’s soft-on-crime approach to illegal immigrants and the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws and protecting American citizens.
Devastated families fight for justice
The heartbroken parents of victims Anya Varfolomeeva and Nicholay Osokin expressed their shock and outrage at California’s decision to release their children’s killer.
“It’s disgusting. You have two young, unbelievable, future, productive American citizens killed for nothing, and that illegal immigrant who already has been deported twice is going to be released again? For what? If even he is deported, he will come back,” said Anatoly Varfolomeev, Anya’s father.
Pavel Osokin, Nicholay’s father, shared his disgust with the system.
“Three years for killing two kids! It’s confusing to me. Why do you give them 10 if they’re gonna spend five, and then three? Give them three in the beginning, at least we know what to expect. It’s sort of spitting in my face,” he told Fox News.
Even more disturbing is the fact that Ortega-Anguiano had already been deported twice before the fatal crash, raising serious questions about California’s sanctuary policies that shield illegal immigrants from federal authorities.
California defends early release despite outrage
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation refused to provide specific details about Ortega-Anguiano’s release, citing “safety and security reasons.”
Instead, they offered a boilerplate explanation about their early release policies.
“Incarcerated persons may earn credits for participating in rehabilitative programming, which may move their parole dates to an earlier date,” the department stated.
This bureaucratic response offers little comfort to the families who lost their children and expected the killer to serve at least a substantial portion of his 10-year sentence.
The victims’ families are desperately writing to state officials in hopes of persuading them to keep Ortega-Anguiano behind bars, but the Trump administration’s swift action gives them hope that justice might still be served.
With federal charges carrying up to 20 years in prison now filed against Ortega-Anguiano, the case has become another flashpoint in the ongoing battle between federal immigration enforcement and California’s sanctuary policies.
One thing is clear: under President Trump’s leadership, federal officials are taking a dramatically different approach to immigration enforcement than the previous administration, putting the protection of American citizens ahead of the interests of criminal illegal immigrants.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
