The Department of Homeland Security is blasting Fairfax County, Virginia prosecutors for offering what it calls an “insane” plea deal to two illegal immigrants who admitted to a brutal murder. DHS says Maldin Anibal Guzman-Videz and Luis Alonzo Sort-Portillo — who are both in the U.S. illegally — stabbed a man to death at a park and walking trail in Oakton, Virginia, in July 2024. The victim’s body was later discovered by a community member in a wooded area, prompting a police response.
Despite the severity of the crime, DHS said the two suspects have been offered a plea deal that would result in just five years in prison and the eventual release of “two monsters” back on American streets. 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, a judge accepted the plea agreements. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said that this is a “sweetheart plea deal” with murders, and added, “This 5-year sweetheart plea deal for murder is insane. 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. 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.
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 Governor 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 of violent crime. The agency said that illegal immigrants have been responsible for 75% of murders in the county so far in 2026, though that figure has not been independently verified.
